


Fresh Meat

by Nitroid



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2018-05-18
Packaged: 2018-10-13 13:30:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 27,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10514724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nitroid/pseuds/Nitroid
Summary: Kise is the new guy in Teiko Penitentiary. Prison!AU, Everyone/Kise, eventual AoKise.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> M for jailsex, everyone/Kise, and Aomine.

Kise watched, expressionless, as the bars of the lock up screeched to a close before him.

There was nothing around him save for a metal wire bed that was attached firmly to the wall. The small, square space he was in seemed to only be used as a holding cell, which could mean he would only be here for a temporary period.

The corrections officer, a burly guard in the standard prison facility uniform, leaned over the bars with a smirk the size of the Indian ocean, displaying his confidence, which showed Kise he truly owned self esteem the size of a pea.

“Wouldn’t look too happy about my new life here if I were you.” The guard sniggered.

Kise cocked his head to the side, allowing his long bangs to fall over his eyes.

The guard’s name tag read Tachibana. He rewarded Kise with a glare that spoke volumes about his evident questioning: was Kise an idiot?

There was a moment of awkward silence, where the officer tried to figure out whether Kise was yanking on his foreskin, and where Kise could practically hear his brain cogs turning. Boy, were they rusty.

The seconds ticked by.

“Get your ass over here.” Tachibana snarled.

Kise didn’t budge.

A small smirk played on the curves of his lips, mimicking Tachibana’s own, previously. The prison guard caught on quickly and decided he didn’t like it. His hand hovered over his belt.

Kise’s eyes followed the movement. A set of key clips, a flashlight, taser, and a seven inch baton that could no doubt be extended during combat.

Not bad. But he sure as hell wasn’t toting one of those mean firearms, which meant he wasn’t playing the field with the big guys. This really was a temporary cell.

“Now.” The guard hissed, fingers closing around his baton.

There wasn’t enough room for Kise to move back without getting hit from all sides, if Tachibana chose to torment him with the baton. The guard looked slightly unhinged.

Probably a side effect from dealing with criminals on a daily basis.

“That’s right, baby boy.” Tachibana reached out and grasped Kise’s chin as soon as he got close enough. “Get those pretty brown eyes right over here - look me in the eye.”

Kise slid his tongue over his teeth, lips curving up into a wanton smile. “What do you want me to do with your eye, Tachibana?”

“Keep that up and you’ll meet all kinds of crazy.” Tachibana’s convenience store onigiri breath ghosted over Kise’s face. “That’s right, baby boy, your tight, pretty little ass is gonna enjoy getting fucked raw, right here in this godforsaken place. If your ass is tight, the walls here are even tighter.”

He sniggered again at his own little joke.

The blond made some quick deductions. If this guard was close enough to be able to chow down on convenience store food, that meant Kise was still pretty close to the outside world.

Kise grinned wide as the guard’s thick fingers dug into the soft flesh of his cheeks.

“You hear me, you killer?” Tachibana snarled into his face.

Kise’s pale, slender fingers were a hair’s breadth away from snitching the keys from Tachibana’s clip.

A sharp pain in his stomach, accompanied by the dull thunk of metal on metal allowed the officer to step back a little.

Fuck, he was _so_ close.

“Not today.”

The baton snapped back from its soundless extension with a quiet click.

“Welcome to Teiko, Kise Ryouta.” Tachibana shoved him away roughly. “There’s no escape. Killers like you, from whatever gang you came from, there’s only one place scum like you are welcome - and you’re right inside it.” 

As the guard took his time practicing what he thought must have been a maniacal laugh - which sounded like sandpaper scraping over metal - Kise walked himself back and settled on the middle of the bare cell floor. His stomach and ribs hurt from the impact of the baton colliding with his gut, but the pain soon ebbed away to a dull throb.

It would bruise, but it would heal.

Plenty of time to bide, brood, and scheme several strategies. This wasn’t his first time in prison. This was his first time with a life sentence, however. 

The guard was right about one thing - this place would welcome him - with open arms.

And if it didn’t, well, he’d make damn sure it did.


	2. II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kise discovers his cellmate.

Blond hair framing his sharp face like a halo, Kise was marched through the long aisles that were littered with holding cells similar to the one he had been contained previously, save for the walls being made of thick galvanized steel.

He noted the cell entrances had fingerprint scanners. Maximum security here at Teiko Penitentiary, with everything made to keep everyone contained, and every device crafted to keep everyone from leaving. Snipers built into the steel walls, top notch security cameras, tracking collars that required a special pin to unlock - and if toyed with or taken off the wrong way, would emit a poisonous gas that would either render one unconscious, or invade one’s bloodstream and freeze your system from the inside.

Kise wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.

He had done his research before he faced his final court trial, however. Teiko Penitentiary was an asylum that housed more than a thousand members of the corrupt; nefarious criminals, drug dealers, mercenaries, and most of all - dozens of mafia families who had been incarcerated over the slim period of a decade.

A lifetime sentence meant plenty of time to get to know everyone.

Other inmates snickered and leered at Kise from within their cells.

“That’s right, new boy. These bars ain’t gonna hold me away from you for long, baby.” One of the inmates bared his yellowed teeth in an ugly grin.

“ _Hoo_ , would you look at that ass.” Another catcalled amidst whistles.

The two guards escorting Kise rammed their batons against the bars to keep the inmates silent, producing bluish sparks.

Kise was highly amused to note the batons had blue lines when they came into contact with something. No wonder the _smarter_ inmates were standing back from the bars, giving them the desired space necessary to escort Kise to wherever his cell was. Wouldn’t be a good idea to get some skin tasered. 

“Officer.” Kise heard an inmate call out. “Hey officer! Does pretty boy have a name?”

“Get back!” One guard ordered, waving the inmate’s arms in.

When he didn’t comply, the guard walked over, holding out his baton threateningly. Kise licked his lips. None of the inmates seemed too afraid, which meant the guards weren’t the ones with power here.

If his hunch was right, then who the hell were these lumps afraid of?

Kise watched with narrowed eyes.

“Keep walking.” The guard behind him nudged his lower back with his firearm. “We still have a long way to go.”

A long way meant walking up three levels where the rows of inmates decked in orange hooted and ogled him from within the depths of their cells. Kise glanced down from the level he was currently on and bit his lower lip. It looked cavernous down there. Like a fucking abyss.

“Number Seven coming through.” The guard pressing the firearm to his back said, two fingers on his earpiece.

The glass doors before them glowed green before Kise was pushed through. There were scanners at the sides, and two security cameras on the top corners. The scanner beeped as Kise walked on out through the other door.

“On your left.” The guard in front said, gesturing to a small set of doors.

“An elevator?” Kise murmured as he stepped in cautiously. 

The guards stepped in after him and nodded at a camera within the elevator. A quiet ding, and the doors slid shut before the elevator made its way up like a bullet. Another ding and Kise was shoved outside to a team of guards with tactical visors on. 

Holy shit.

“Let’s see. Kise Ryouta, number Seven. Alright, you’ve been assigned to the asylum level.” A tall, well-built soldier garbed in what seemed like SWAT gear motioned him forward. “You get one haircut every two months, one disposable razor to be handed in for recollection every morning, and a cafeteria pass where you can get three meals a day.”

He nodded to his men, who were feeling up Kise’s body in an instant. This was one _thorough_ body check.

“Clear.” One of the soldiers duly reported.

“Barber first.” The tall soldier directed him to a door. “I’ll bring you to your cell when you’re done.”

Holding out his arms, Kise allowed them to remove his cuffs and was pointed to a chair.

“Yo.” A sandy haired man greeted him. “What kinda cut?”

“Huh?” Kise blinked, taking one step back as he mulled over the multitude of possibilities ‘ _cut_ ’ meant in this situation.

The guy broke out into a wide grin. “You’re pretty cute! You smell a little nervous, but hella cute nonetheless!”

Smell?

Was this guy an animal?

He slung an arm over Kise’s shoulders, invading his personal space without a second thought. “C’mere! I’ll show you the hairstyles the newbies can choose!”

Ah. It wasn’t rare for an inmate to get a job as the prison barber if his track record was good for a certain time period.

Kise looked down at the cheap laminated paper that was thrust into his hands. It was a menu of prison styles. “Uh… a number three, please.”

“Are you absolutely sure?” The barber broke into his personal bubble once more by shoving his face right into Kise’s. “A clean head shave doesn’t suit you, y’know.”

Kise almost chuckled. He kind of liked this guy.

“What would you suggest for me, then… uh…”

“Call me Kotaro!” He grinned, baring his fangs.

Kise was immediately reminded of an animal. A mildly crazed, dangerous animal. Well, this penitentiary _did_ serve as an asylum.

“…you?” Kotaro was asking. “Hey hey hey, it’s not the best idea to space out, especially not over here.”

He licked his lips, leaning in close to Kise, walking him backwards into the chair. It was funny, Kise thought, as he squirmed uncomfortably in his seat while Kotaro loomed over him, hungrily - he’d clearly recalled Kotaro being about nine inches shorter than he was. There was something decidedly … wild … about this guy - and it wasn’t just the way he looked at him with those green-gray eyes. It was definitely his entire aura, thrumming through his being like an unrestrained cheetah.

“ _Juuuust_ messing with you~” Kotaro brandished a pair of shears and a shaver. “Tell you what, I’ll give you a surprise haircut. One that suits your face. How about that, _kitty cat_?”

“What about the prison rules?” Kise asked quietly.

He didn’t like being called a cat.

Kotaro chuckled and tilted his chin with his right hand, shears mere millimeters from Kise’s left cheek. “You won’t have to bother about them if you agree to become mine.”

Right. So this was the prison hierarchy Kise has heard so much about from ex-convicts who had been released.

“Cut my hair however you want.” Kise reached out to gently remove Kotaro’s hand from his face. “Also, I’d rather make _you_ mine.”

He offered Kotaro a feral grin of his own.

The seconds ticked by as the sandy haired man’s grin widened. He cut the silence with a sharp bark of laughter.

“I knew there was something about you, Number Seven.” Kotaro snickered, turning away to place the shaver back on a steel table. “You’re special. I can tell you’re gonna be the catalyst to a hell of a lot of change over here.”

x

Kise was escorted out of the barber room with a cropped blond cut. Unexpectedly, Kotaro had been gentle and deft with the scissors, and had cleaned up Kise’s original look very well.

Kotaro had given him a parting remark.

“If you choose to join us, you’ll find out what’s good.”

He’d turned around to sweep up the blond strands on the floor. The familiar tattoo on the back of his neck had shown Kise all he needed to know. Rakuzan gang members were here, which was an obvious heads up that a ton of other mafia families would be, too. Kise felt like he had just dodged a bullet by not telling Kotaro his name.

A thin, black collar with a blinking red light was attached around his neck. The small screen lit up to show his vital signs, as well as his cell number.

“Straight down, and you’ll be integrated with the other inmates of your level.” The tall soldier nodded at him. “Get yourself into your uniform. You get a change of three per week. We’ll assign someone to show you to your cell, and teach you the ropes for work.”

Kise blinked. This seemed a lot like boot camp. Nothing he couldn’t get used to.

After being escorted through a series of corridors where there were more officers than inmates, Kise was shown in through a set of doors that were marked ‘push’. Somehow missing the signs, Kise pulled out of sheer habit.

A burst of laughter broke out behind him. Cheeks flushing, Kise turned to lock gazes with a dark haired man.

“New, aren’t you?” He smiled gleefully. “You gotta push, not pull.”

Kise complied quietly, giving the man a wry smile. “Thanks.”

“Ooh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a newbie without a crew cut or a shaved head.” The dark haired man followed Kise in. “Kotaro must’ve taken a liking to you.”

“…I guess.” Kise murmured, eyes curiously scoping out the other man.

He seemed to be about five nine, with slate blue eyes and a mischievous smile, coupled with a happy-go-lucky attitude. Kise found him about a hundred times more refreshing than the previous officers and inmates he had encountered.

“I’m Takao Kazunari.” He stopped at a trolley stacked with what looked like folded garments. “I’m in charge of laundry and clothing collections. What should I call you?”

“Kise Ryouta.” The blond stuck out a hand to help Takao before a smaller stack toppled over. “Either is fine, I’m not fussy.”

“Ryou-chan then.” Takao looked up with meet his gaze with twinkling eyes.

Kise grinned back and accepted the change of clothes Takao handed him. He changed into the same gray uniform quickly and watched as Takao placed his white one into a basket. 

“Looking good! You’ll blend in just fine now.” Takao gave him a thumbs up before jerking it to the door behind him. “Wanna check out who your cellmate is?”

“Definitely.” Kise smiled shyly. “Hey, how come you’re so nice to me?”

“Takes a nice person to know one.” Takao replied smoothly.

“You must be a hit with all the girls.” Running a hand through his newly cropped hair, Kise glanced at Takao, whose face was serious.

“I might be if I swung that way.” Without missing a beat, Takao led him through a busy hallway with a well-practiced stride.

Kise wondered if it was appropriate to ask how long he had been around; would he come off as rude when they had just met ten minutes ago? He swallowed his hesitation and asked anyway.

“About a year, now.” Takao met his gaze with a wry smile. “I was caught when I tried to rescue my buddy from the Shuutoku-Rakuzan turf war back then.”

Trying not to show his apparent surprise, Kise carefully chose his next question. “Are there others from your Family here?”

“Of course.” Takao shrugged, adjusting the collar on his own neck. “Some I don’t get to see because we’re separated here; they committed crimes of a lower level than mine, and some have already been released. Our gang here is a tight one.”

They spent a few quiet minutes walking out to the hallway where the cells were located.

“So … which Family are you serving?” Takao asked softly.

Sharp.

But it was an inevitable question; Kise steeled himself to accept the consequences.

Kise swallowed. “Kaijo.”

“I guessed as much.”

“Do you know if there are any Kaijo members left here?”

Takao nodded slowly. “You’re in luck, Ryou-chan. Your family’s got a good number here in Teiko. Although it probably isn’t as lucky, considering the state of all our Families out there in the real world, without us to keep things going.”

“You speak as if this isn’t the real world.” Kise smirked.

“It’s like time is in a stasis, here.” Takao answered with a small laugh.

Kise didn’t know how to respond to that. He found himself missing the freedom of the outside world already. It was too quiet here, too sterile.

Smiling, Takao stopped before a short row of empty cells, holding both hands out. “Gimme your hands, Ryou-chan.”

Kise blinked at the warmth of Takao’s hands, and looked down at the small squares of chocolates in his palms.

“A little gift to help sweeten your first week here. Don’t tell anyone, okay?” Takao winked before slapping his shoulder. “C’mon, lighten up a little! Shuutoku and Kaijo are allies. Didn’t you know?”

Kise thanked him, feeling a rush of emotions wash over him.

“So what’s your cell number?”

“Er.” Kise tilted his head to the side so Takao could get a good look at his collar. “I’ve no idea.”

The mischievous look on Takao’s face turned into an expression of solid glee.

“What d’you know, Ryou-chan, you’re my cellmate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, Kise meets Aomine, the rumored Panther of the Touou Family!


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kise meets the rumored Panther of the Touou Family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Implied rape, and Aomine.

Kise awoke to the sound of the weird, tinny, almost buzzer sounding alarm that blared throughout the entire prison. The time was six thirty.

In the bunk across from his, Takao made a mewling sort of growl.

"Five more minutes."

Kise rubbed his eyes and would have laughed, if only he didn't feel like sleeping in an extra five minutes, himself.

An officer was soon at the door of their cell to wave his hand over the scanner. Their door clicked open quietly.

"Fifteen minutes till warm up time." He pointed to his watch and made ticking noises. "You're wanted for collection duty today too, Takao."

"Mmmph." Takao replied, fishing a hand out of his blankets to brandish a choice finger at the disappearing officer's back.

There were over a thousand pairs of uniforms Takao had to collect from each cell on the block he resided in, send them to the laundry section twice a week - where he would assign different inmates on a daily rotation to wash, dry, and fold. So far, Takao was the only one in charge of this, and he was doing an excellent job, too.

Kise reached over and hooked his own middle finger around Takao's. "C'mon. I'll help."

"I am not a morning person." Takao grumbled as he rolled out of bed, into Kise's strong arms and toned chest. "Mmm, nice pecs... if only you were my type."

Chuckling, Kise ruffled Takao's hair and quickly brushed back the bits that stuck out. They bounced back defiantly. He heaved a mock sigh.

"Takaochii, you're the only one I know with horrible bed head."

A low clearing of throat brought their sleepy gazes to the door, where Midorima stood, arms crossed, looking slightly annoyed.

“Oops.” Kise breathed, noting Midorima’s irritated stance.

"Takao." He said reproachfully.

"Morning, Shin-chan!" Takao dived for Midorima's arms. "I missed you. Did you sleep well?"

As Takao and Midorima talked, Kise rubbed the sleep sand from his eyes and grabbed his gray uniform jacket, putting it on over his standard white singlet. He avoided Midorima’s stern gaze as he slid his legs into his pants.

“I hear you’re here for killing some of the Miracle’s pet dogs.” Midorima held Takao in his arms. “Life sentences aren’t something they give to us easily.”

Kise scoffed, gesturing around the cell. “You speak as if this is some sort of trophy.”

“It’s something you earn.” Midorima stared knowingly at him. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Saying nothing, Kise brushed past him and headed outside. He supposed Midorima would want some alone time with Takao, and he didn’t want to be the one intruding upon that. Maybe prison fuck buddies were something these guys needed, but definitely not him.

“Hey, where are you going?” Takao caught him by the elbow, looking a little worried. “Wait up, don’t leave us.”

Kise raised an eyebrow. “Just headed to the showers. And maybe breakfast. I’ll see you guys there, yeah?”

Takao bit his lower lip, hesitant.

Smiling gently and leaning down, Kise lowered his voice as he jerked a thumb in Midorima’s general direction. “Fifteen minutes till warm-up time, remember?”

“You know, you’ve got the wrong idea, about us.” Midorima stood behind them, adjusting his collar around his neck. “We’re in love.”

Kise straightened up quickly. “I do get that, don’t worry. Men in prison are often -”

Takao placed a hand on Kise’s shoulder. “No, Ryou-chan, we really are lovers. Even before we got incarcerated.”

This was unexpected. Unexpectedly cute, in Kise’s eyes. The stoic, steadfast Midorima avoiding eye contact with slightly flushed cheeks - this was new.

“I got caught to save him.” Takao smiled fondly. “But he couldn’t live without me by his side.”

“Dammit, Takao-”

Kise felt the corners of his lips curve up into a smile. “Are you serious? You let yourself get caught for this guy?”

The look Midorima gave him bordered on disgust, and something else Kise was unable to place.

“You don’t want to be walking around alone.” Midorima warned, keeping his voice low. “We have yet to introduce you to your allies here. There are other Families you would probably want to avoid.”

“Like Rakuzan?” Kise chuckled. “Kotaro-kun seemed okay when I first met him. Too bad I rarely see him though.”

Takao shook his head. “No freakin’ way, Ryou-chan! That guy’s a nutjob. He’s an assassin without a heart, or so they say.”

Kise barely had time to ask who they were, before the buzzer sounded through the cell corridors, signaling the start of PT or morning workouts before breakfast.

“Let’s get moving.” Midorima led the way.

When they entered the outdoor training grounds, Kise breathed a sigh of relief. There were more people than he could count in the vast area. The guards out here were dressed like military sentries, and they looked ten times more intimidating than the ones Kise had met on his first day.

“There’s more people out here this week.” Kise beamed at Takao, who beamed back.

Amid the crowd, the blond felt someone brush up against his back, and stepped away, only to trod on someone else’s foot, and stumble backwards into something hard. Kise turned around immediately to apologize, civilian manners still ingrained in him.

Tanned skin that accentuated big, toned muscles, and dark eyes paired with a sly smirk sent tingles rushing through Kise’s spine, for whatever ungodly reason. It almost felt like sharp static, which confused Kise’s train of thought even more. This was another man, for Miracles’ sake.

“Watch where you’re going.” 

His voice was low.

Instantly on guard, Kise backed up a couple steps and plastered a faint smile on his face. “Sorry.”

The tanned man smiled back. Kise felt his lungs suddenly run out of air.

“You’re cute.” Tanned fingers were on his chin, tilting his face upward, then to the side. “Number Seven.”

So he had been looking at the tiny screen on Kise’s collar. Annoyed at how he was letting this man affect him, Kise slapped his hand away.

“Hands off.”

“Or what, Number Seven?”

Kise perfected his copy of Midorima’s glare.

“You’re amusing, Seven.” The tanned man laughed. “You look like a model.”

He had a sharp face, which looked pretty damn handsome, even in the low light of dawn. He could be a model, himself.

“I don’t find you amusing though, ganguro.” 

Kise found himself slammed up against the wire fence, which, thankfully, wasn’t connected to the outer wire fence, which had steel enforcements and live electricity running through its entire length covering Teiko Penitentiary grounds.

“Whoa!” Kise heard Takao’s voice somewhere in the crowd, but focused on the dark haired stranger in front of him. “Ryou-chan!”

“You’re fresh meat, aren’t you?” His breath ghosted over the skin on Kise’s face.

He smelled like mint aftershave.

“What happens to the new guys in Teiko, do you know?”

His face was half a centimeter away from Kise’s own, which sent the blond’s heart into a flurry of thumps, battling to get out of his ribcage.

Strangely, Kise’s voice was steady despite his emotions doing a quick one eighty.

“I guess you’re about to show me.” Kise responded with a slow smirk.

“Damn right.”

As Kise raked his eyes over the other man’s skin, he saw something that made his heart stop - the Touou Family crest tattooed on his chest, partly hidden by the black singlet he wore, but still visible.

The hands that had shoved him into the fence were now tightening around his neck.

“Picture you exactly like this, ass up, getting fucked raw right in your virgin hole.” His voice was doing things to Kise’s mind, and his lower half was reacting in an unwanted manner. “That’s what being a fresh piece of meat here really means.”

The crowd was growing around them, other men calling out insulting names, some whistling.

“Reminds me of a blowup doll.” Kise choked out, maintaining eye contact with the Touou inmate. “Sounds like you’ve had plenty of experience.”

“You’ll love it here.” His cold, knowing smirk sent chills down Kise’s spine. “You’re interesting, y’know that?”

Kise grabbed a fistful of the tanned inmate’s singlet and yanked him closer. “Cute, amusing, interesting - you sound like a middle schooler texting his first potential pussy. That’s what you’re going for?”

His response was weak, even to his ears.

“Aomine, the sentries!” Someone called out from within the crowd.

The guards must have realized something was going down at the PT field, and had probably sent someone over to check on the inmates. Kise couldn’t help but wonder why the name Aomine sounded so damn familiar.

Dark eyes scrutinized him thoughtfully before he released his hold on Kise’s neck. “What’s your gang?”

Kise blinked. “Gang...?”

“Family.” Aomine kept his hands on the fence by Kise’s head. “You don’t look like you’re from Touou. I’ve never seen you before.”

Well, shit.

Just another Family Kise really needed to avoid - Kaijo and Touou had never been on the best of terms - and here he was fucking around with (possibly) some bigwig’s favorite, given the way the other inmates seemed to behave around this tanned guy.

“Does it matter?” Kise managed to ask.

Aomine regarded him for a moment before breaking out into a smile. “It doesn’t. So what’s your crime?”

Figuring he probably wouldn’t get away with lying - most of the inmates seemed to know what everyone else did to get into Teiko, anyway - Kise decided to be honest. It was a first that someone had openly asked him outright, anyhow.

“Murdered a room of people.” He replied quietly. “They didn’t quite agree with the way I think.”

“Huh.” Aomine declared, voice a low growl. “I like you.”

“Try harder.”

Kise shoved his arms out of the way and walked over to where Takao and Midorima were waiting. The crowd, having lost interest, were milling around waiting for PT to start.

“I see you’ve just got acquainted with Aomine Daiki, Touou’s Panther.” Takao grinned. 

Sighing, Kise tried to regain inner composure. “Haven’t heard of him. Let’s hope he stays out of my way.”

“Ryou-chan, you’re gonna have a tough time avoiding him - he looks pretty taken by you.”

Attempting to play it cool, Kise snorted. “What the fuck ever. He seemed like a total idiot.”

“God, the sexual tension was like fucking lightning-” Takao didn’t manage to finish as Midorima clapped a hand over his mouth. 

“We can meet the inmates from your family after this.” Midorima steered Kise’s attention back to the present. “I’ve arranged for my men to introduce us.”

x

Later meant sitting in the food hall with the rest of the inmates from all over the asylum level.

Kise found he couldn’t recognize more than half the faces there, but then again, he hadn’t had much face time with them before.

“Only your second week and you’ve already brushed noses with Aomine?” Kasamatsu, the right hand man to the boss of Kaijo, shook his head. “Kise, you’re a complete idiot.”

“Like I want to be told that from someone who got caught over a small turf fight.”

Kise received a smack on the head for saying that, and howled his protest before Midorima effectively shut him up by shoving a red bean bun into his mouth.

“Just lie low for a while.” Kasamatsu sighed, running a hand through his short black hair. “And try to stay out of trouble, Kise.”

“’Kay.” Kise mumbled around the bun.

Sitting diagonally across from them on the opposing end of the hall, the Touou members were watching him interestedly. Kise couldn’t help but notice a strange smiling man with glasses.

“That’s Imayoshi.” Kasamatsu told him quietly. “He’s the Touou boss’ favorite, I hear. Rumor has it he started the turf war with Seirin.”

“We’re good with them, aren’t we?” Kise stole some mashed potato off Takao’s plate.

“Seirin?” Kasamatsu took a sip of water. “Guess you could say we’re working with them.”

As they talked, on the Touou end, Aomine leaned close to Imayoshi.

“Kise Ryouta, Kaijo’s Prince.” Imayoshi dished out the details from his informant. “Looks like you found someone to play with, didn’t you?”

Aomine shrugged. “He’s interesting.”

“He’s dangerous.” Imayoshi warned. “Don’t add coals into the flames.”

“Shut up.” Aomine growled. “I’m going to make him mine.”


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After meeting Murasakibara, Kise discovers a possible road to freedom.

"You think you can get away with being big, don't you?" Hanamiya leered, watching Murasakibara intently as he chomped on a biscuit stick. "Yet you can't even look me in the eye. You _freak_."

  
Bored, Kise watched from the safe vicinity of the brick wall he was leaning against beside Takao, who was humming a song he had written, mumbling the lyrics between breaths. Afternoon breaks were mostly uneventful.

  
Kise was well into his sixth week at Teiko Penitentiary now, and the slow life here was quickly settling into his bones with a deep sense of nonchalance. Briefly, Kise entertained the thought as to how Takao and Midorima had survived a year in the secured grounds, then smirked at the memory of how the head of Kaijo, Takeuchi, had always said to never settle.

  
Settling always made you weak. It dulled the sharpness of your blade.

  
Keep moving.

  
Kise ground his teeth, thinking of the boss' mansion and who would be running it when Kasamatsu and him were incarcerated. He had to find a way out, but after his Family's defeat, Kaijo's limited sources were proving immensely difficult to obtain in order to escape. And even if he did get out, he didn't know how things were with his Family any more than Kasamatsu could tell him.

  
Since he'd been arrested, the head of Kaijo, Takeuchi, had gone into hiding - every one of his trusted men had been caught, first Hayakawa, although it had been a planned move all along, then the handsome Moriyama, followed by Kobori and Nakamura. There were allies whom Takeuchi could have requested aid from, or perhaps shelter from the keen government eye, but Kise could tell it was more or less rival Families who had caused the head of Kaijo to hide from.

  
"Catal Rhythm." Takao murmured, leaning his head against Kise's shoulder. "That's gonna be my new song title."

  
"Mmm." Kise hummed back. "Sounds fitting."

  
Takao licked his lips.

  
"Yosen isn't the one in power here. You're nothing and nobody anymore."

  
Murasakibara continued eating, oblivious to the insults the Kirisaki Daichi gang member was hurling at him. Irked at the silence he was receiving, Hanamiya slapped Murasakibara's hand roughly.

  
"Did you hear what I said, you fucking freak?" Hanamiya snarled. "You're a goddamn monster, you useless waste of space!"

  
The cookie stick flew out of the purple haired giant's grip before hitting the rough cement at his feet, crumbling into a mess of sandy grains.

  
A split second later found Hanamiya motionless on the ground, a large, heavy hand on the back of his head. Blood slowly seeped from his forehead and left eye, half of his face pressed hard against the rough ground.

  
The rest of Kirisaki Daichi were on instant alert, on their feet and ready to fight with the other Yosen Family members.

  
"We don't need to show you our power." Murasakibara seethed.

  
"Atsushi!" Tatsuya called, reacting several seconds too late. "Atsushi, no!"

  
He dropped the wheelbarrow he had been using to push some fine sand from the toolshed to the area where other inmates were tasked to rebuild part of a broken wall, and ran over to Murasakibara.

  
Guards were hollering by now, rushing from the inner and outer walls, all on high alert. They were trained specifically for the times like this, where the inmates would break out into random fights, generally due to testosterone and pure idiocy - usually caused by the notorious firestarter Hanamiya.

  
Murasakibara lifted Hanamiya by the collar of his jacket, straightening up to his full height, towering over the mass of Yosen inmates who were attempting to block the guards' access to the giant.

  
"Atsushi, don't!" Tatsuya reached him. "Please! Just let him go."

  
"Thought you were on my side, Murochin."

  
"I am!" Tatsuya protested. "But you can't just slam someone into the ground like that! What if you killed him?!"

  
"Disgusting." Murasakibara growled. "Get lost before I do the same to you."

  
Tatsuya literally stopped in his tracks, worried expression shifting into hurt defiance.

  
"Uh oh." Takao sighed. "We're gonna hafta clean up after Atsu-chan, aren't we?"

  
Kise dropped a gentle kiss onto the crown of Takao's head. "Explain, Takaochii."

  
Murasakibara stared as Tatsuya slowly turned and walked away from him, headed over to Kise's general direction.

  
"Well, I know a lover's spat when I see one." Takao rubbed his cheek against Kise's arm. "You know, your arms are more defined than Shin-chan's."

  
"I don't get it. But okay. Also, is he walking this way?" Kise blinked as he watched the scene unfold before him. "Thanks though, I guess we have different genes."

  
"Murochin, where you going?" Murasakibara called, dropping Hanamiya like a sack of wet potatoes.

  
As the members of Kirisaki Daichi hastily dragged Hanamiya away, Teiko guards closed in around him, blocking further access. He could have rammed his way through them, but stayed in his spot, looking wistfully after the dark haired man, who was now closing in on Kise's personal space.

  
Kise noted a chain with a ring around his neck.

  
He also noted a mole under Tatsuya's right eye.

  
Tatsuya passed him, visible eye not covered by his long fringe boring a deep hole through Kise's own amber orbs. Warily, Kise's gaze darted from Tatsuya to Murasakibara, who was now training his steely glare on him.

  
Purple locks coupled with an ominously oppressing aura grew as Murasakibara walked toward him. Kise maintained steady eye contact, curious about the Yosen Family. He had only met them once at a Family meeting. Murasakibara had had the same aura back then, too. Kise had instantly reacted with caution, alarm bells ringing through his head. Violent when provoked, Kobori had mentioned before, Murasakibara was the finest hitman from Yosen's territory, and best left alone.

  
Kise allowed himself a second of fear before lapsing into his practiced state - calm vigilance. The Yosen gang member was a formidable force, more so up close. Murasakibara was known for his special killing technique, involving no weapons other than his hands - Kise tried not to imagine how many heads had been crushed between those large palms.

  
"Stay away from Muro-chin."

Kise decided Murasakibara had a certain glint in his eye that spoke volumes about his innate self confidence. An enemy worthy of his time. With the right words, Kise wondered how easy it would be to manipulate Yosen into aiding his escape out of Teiko's impenetrable walls.

"You listening?" Murasakibara's voice was low, almost gravelly.

His body language was nothing short of intimidating - but to Kise's trained eye, this was nothing to be concerned about. He didn't earn the reputation of owning a silver tongue without reason.

  
"He's not the one I want." Kise responded smoothly, uncrossing his arms to relax them at his sides.

  
Easier to take this giant of a man out.

  
"Then we're good." Murasakibara straightened up from leaning down to glare at him.

  
They were attracting too much attention. Inmates from the top floor were being led into the work area in single file, and Kise's bright blond hair was the first thing they laid eyes upon. Murasakibara followed Kise's quick glance to stare at the other prisoners before smirking.

"Seems like you need protection, Kaijo's Kise Ryouta." Murasakibara half-yawned, half-spoke. "Let me know when you're ready to join Yosen."

"When I do, I'll send flowers." Kise allowed him a mock bow. "And a sufficient amount of candy."

  
Satisfied with his frivolous response, the Yosen giant strolled away in the direction Tatsuya had left.

  
Beside him, Takao inhaled a sharp intake of air. "You didn't ... really mean that, did you?"

Shaking his head, Kise murmured a negative.

  
Kise wanted nothing to do with the rest of the inmates save for the members of Kaijo's Family, and future run-ins with dangerous men of rival Families was not on his agenda. Though, he seemed to stand out a lot anyway, with his signature blond hair and gentle pretty boy look - Kise knew he couldn't do anything about the face he was born with, but then again it provided him a distinct advantage especially when it came to dealing with civilians. Compared to having a threatening mug like Aomine of the Touou Family, and probably Kotarou of Rakuzan, when it came to walking out on the streets and gathering intel or offering help in general, regular people would most likely choose Kise, and he knew it.  
He was just tired of being called pretty by every other jailbird in the vicinity.

  
The barely hidden lust in the leering gazes of other inmates were starting to get plenty boring, and Kise was beginning to feel a strong urge to kill several of them bubbling up in his gut. It was a craving he desperately needed to satisfy. He wondered how long his self-control would last with the amount of men whose lives he wanted to end were on his hit list.

  
"Let's get us something good." Takao whispered, a gleeful tone enveloping his voice.

  
Kise followed him, laying low from the watchful eyes of the guards.

  
"Laundry duty." Takao flashed his task card at the couple of sentries by the door so they were granted access.

  
Takao led him through the familiar hallway to locate the laundry station for Block B. The quiet hum of working machines filled Kise's ears while they walked. Several of Takao's men nodded at them as they passed. Nakamura looked up from studying a map - a pilfered item from the guards several nights ago, and smirked at Kise.

  
"What have you found?" Kise asked, returning his Family member's smile.

  
"A blueprint of the underground base." Nakamura pushed up his glasses with a look of triumph. "I'm still figuring it out. Though the map has a few series to complete it. It's like a piece to a puzzle."

  
Kise carefully filed that away mentally for later analysis.

  
It made sense that Teiko Penitentiary wouldn't have a complete map out in the open for guards to cart around. Nakamura had probably gotten the blueprint from Kobori, who was working the upper floor along with Hayakawa. Still, it was handy.

  
"Tell me what you know when you find out." Kise slipped Nakamura a piece of chocolate from his pocket, courtesy of Takao.

  
Nakamura offered him a nod.

  
"Here we go!" Takao marched over before pressing a cigarette into Kise's hand. "Let's go round the back where the guards can't smell us."

  
Kise grinned. Smoking wasn't really his thing, but it was Takao's, and he didn't mind accompanying him in exchange for pleasant conversation.

  
In his mind's eye, however, Kise could still visualize Murasakibara. The ominous feeling of carefully concealed hostility was still dancing in his mental peripheral.

  
"Wanted to let you know who else to watch out for." Takao leaned against the cool unpainted cement outside the laundry room. "You heard of Fukuda Sogo?"

  
Kise took the proffered cigarette and nodded. "What about them?"

  
"Round about the same time we heard the news about you getting arrested, their ace card just got himself a life sentence here too." Takao puffed smoke out of his mouth as he spoke. "Killed a bunch of men and innocent civilians related to Kaijo's Family."

  
"Haizaki." Kise acknowledged through gritted teeth.

  
The name left a sour taste in his mouth.

  
Takao nodded, glancing at him. "You're familiar with him I see."

  
Rubbing the back of his neck, Kise took a puff from the cigarette. "We were from the same training facility. Before I joined Kaijo."

  
"I take it you weren't on the best of terms."

  
Sharper than cut glass.

  
Kise offered Takao a thin smile. "He likes competing. Bloodshed means nothing to him."

  
Grinning, Takao shook his head. "Another ruthless guy, huh? Well, I guess I don't have to tell you to be careful. Fukuda Sogo were quiet before he came in, till now. He's killed a couple guys here too, since he entered."

  
"What was the penalty?"

  
"Whipping and isolation for two months." Takao crunched out the fire from the last bit of the cigarette beneath his standard prison boot. "He survived it. Came out meaner than before, or so my men tell me. Most inmates can't handle a month's worth of being alone here."

  
Kise narrowed his eyes. "We'll see about that."

  
Takao started. "Hey now. I'm only giving you a warning. Please, don't start nothing if you aren't ready for the consequences."

  
"How do you know what I'm ready for, Takaochii?"

  
"Kise _Ryouta_ , I swear to all divine forces -"

  
Smirk blossoming into a grin, Kise reached out to wrap Takao in a headlock. "Tell those divine forces to get our asses outta here."

  
No point alarming Shuutoku.

  
As Takao squirmed and laughed, Kise mulled over what he would need to do to keep his Kaijo Family safe from Haizaki's wrath. Like it or not, Kise knew Haizaki wasn't the type to let sleeping dogs lie.

  
Fight to the death was his motto, and through the brief time Kise had been acquainted with him, Haizaki had proved to be extremely adept at using underhanded methods to end the lives of those who challenged him. Power hungry and merciless, Haizaki had been the turning point for the Fukuda Sogo Family, bringing their drug cartel to fame through dirty dealings with the police in Shizuoka, and extending their reach all the way to Tokyo.

  
There were rumors of Fukuda Sogo's gang having constant run-ins with Touou's gang in Tokyo, and Kise wondered to what extent Haizaki's and Aomine's relationship were.

  
The enemy of his enemy could be his friend.


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kise discovers Kagami, in many more ways than one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have a mild murmured warning about sexual content, but then again that's what you're here for isn't it ;)

It was around two in the morning, Kise supposed, as he walked quietly from his cell to the shower rooms. The cameras probably could pick up the red vitals of his collar, and the bright yellow of his hair was hard to miss. Still, inmates of his level were allowed free rein in the night as long as they had a sentry on foot, complete with cameras following their every move. They were only granted ten minute intervals of privacy in the showers or the restrooms here.

Still, ten minutes proved to be more than enough. The sentries could be paid off easily if one still had good connections to their Families in the outside world.

  
Kise noted each cell as he shuffled past. The halls were quiet and practically deserted. Almost everyone was asleep.

  
Almost.

  
Some were wide awake, staring blankly through him, or at the soft light of the moon filtered through the bars of their windows. Others sat on the cold cement floor, rocking silently or humming quiet tunes.

  
Briefly, Kise wondered if they missed their homes, loved ones, and the ways of the world outside of the massive walls and barricades of Teiko.

  
He then concluded that they, like him, were probably plotting world demise, starting with slitting the throats of the guards who took the night and day shifts by the lobby of Teiko Penitentiary, work their way up the system to the low ranking sentries, and finally, wipe out the presence of the high ranking officials in this asylum.

  
Teiko would be a central madhouse then, without anyone in power to control the inmates. Families would fight. Everyone would be free.

  
The world outside would be bathed in a roiling mass of chaos. Kise found himself grinning widely as he savored these thoughts. Massive amounts of blood would be shed. Lives would be taken, and the killing, oh the sweet killing-

  
"...Seven!"

  
Kise was jolted out of his thoughts, finding himself staring down the steel end of his sentry's baton, no doubt fully charged with nine hundred megawatts of power.

  
He licked his lips.

  
The taste of blood ghosted his tongue. His memories of committing murder were slowly fading as his consciousness lured him back to the present.

  
"Snap out of it, Number Seven." His sentry waved him toward a grilled entrance. "Time for your shower."

  
As Kise obediently entered, another sentry picked up the watch from the inside of the door. He checked Kise's body lightly before handing him a freshly laundered towel - thanks to Takao - and a tiny razor.

  
Amid the splashes of running water, there were muffled sounds of fighting somewhere down the corridor.

  
Kise found the corners of his mouth quirking into a grin.

  
As he neared the shower room, the sharp smell of blood sent a thrill of excitement coursing down Kise's spine. His pupils dilated as he inhaled, mind whirling with a dozen possibilities as to where the source of blood lay. The new sentry following him was a stout, well built man with puppy dog eyes and a quiet demeanor about him. He didn't seem to be bothered about the scent of blood in the air, or the sounds of someone getting beaten up.

  
Not surprising.

  
Kise was nodded and gestured into shower room three, where he was permitted thirty minutes to clean himself up. His sentry vanished from sight as soon as Kise stepped into his cubicle, which consisted of a short plastic curtain, a towel hook, a shampoo and soap dispenser, and a square mirror which soon fogged over as he turned on the shower.

  
Allowing the hot water to run over his skin, Kise breathed a little sigh of relief. Getting himself clean was one thing - the other was so he could jerk off and get that load out of his system. Sharing a cell with Takao was one thing; finding release in private was another. And now, with the dulled smell of blood . . . Kise found himself half-mast, water trickling past his harderning cock as he inhaled.

  
The sounds of fist hitting bone stopped. Kise spurted into his own hand, biting his lip as he came silently, the water soon washing away all traces of evidence from his skin as the shower continued to run.

  
"He dead yet?" Someone was saying. "If he is, we need to let his guard know."

  
There were murmurs and some laughter.

  
Kise scrubbed the shampoo into his hair, and noted that the other showers seemed desolate, void of inmates. His senses were tingling. Something wasn't right.

  
The rings of his shower curtain squealed on the metal bar they were attached to, exposing his body to the eyes of a cornrowed, grinning man.

  
"Scream and run." His familiar voice dripping with sarcasm, Kise's rival looked smug and dangerously devious. "Looks like you're cornered, aren't you, Kise Ryouta?"

  
In his right hand, he flicked a little Tanto blade, languidly moving the knife between his fingers.

Kise eyed him, assessing the situation - which was, truthfully, all in Haizaki's favor. Here he stood, naked as a jaybird, defenseless and well, wet from his still running shower.

  
The tap squeaked in protest as Kise turned it off.

  
"Shougo-kun, you look well." Kise pushed his wet fringe out of his line of sight, blinking water out of his eyes. "Less angry. Looks like Teiko's done you some good."

  
There were bloodstains on Haizaki's chest, but it didn't look like it belonged to him. Kise noted several of Haizaki's men dragging a bloodied body out from the shower room.

  
"Get a load of this little puppy barking. I get out of isolation and the first thing I hear is the Prince of Kaijo being the talk of town."

Kise's eyes narrowed. He'd always loathed that name.

"Looks like your good dog days are over, Ryouta." There was something sinister about Haizaki's smirk. "Roll over and fetch me a bone, why don't you?"

  
Kise shifted his gaze from the blade to Haizaki's eyes. "Woof. Which bone of yours would you like fetched, Shougo-kun?"

  
Haizaki threw back his head to let out a laugh that bounced off the tiled bathroom walls. Kise calmly reached for his towel, before finding the Tanto at his throat, Haizaki backing him up against the wall.

  
"You're not going anywhere." Haizaki's face closed in, inches from Kise's as his breath ghosted over Kise's lips. "It's play time, Ryouta. I'm about to make you my little bitch."

  
"I've always wondered about your attention span, Shougo." Kise ground his pelvis against Haizaki's, catching his old rival by surprise. "There you have it, I'm a male. But I'd rather not venture into uncharted caverns. Medically, I mean. I don't know where you've been."

Kise smirked as he allowed the implication of Fukuda Sogo's notorious hand in Tokyo's nightlife scene; they owned countless hostess bars, high class escorts, and rows of whorehouses where the girls were trafficked from all over the world. Even as a loud runt, way back before he rose from the dirt of Shizuoka, Haizaki was known to mingle with the prostitutes. Kise knew he'd lived among them; his mother had been in debt to one of the higher ranking men in the Family. He'd ensured Haizaki had had a good life; and accepted the little white haired boy into the business.

It was fair trade, considering Haizaki's background. Kise's wasn't all that different. They had schooled together, but were never friends, always at each other's throats.

  
The expression on Shougo's face was priceless. He settled for a seething snarl.

  
"You're the one about to be done, you little-"

  
"Not so little." Kise laughed, gently tickling Shougo under his freshly shaved chin. "About half an inch taller than you, if you remember. Back when we were . . . close. I could always feel you watching me."

This was true, in a way. Haizaki had never let him out of his competitive sight, even as high schoolers.

  
The rest of the remaining Fukuda Sogo inmates chuckled at this. No doubt they knew of their own leader's infatuation with Kise back in the day when Kaijo ruled the roost. Their drug trafficking routes were almost always rerouted into Kaijo's, but Haizaki could never get a proper pinpoint on Kise's smartly hidden locations, nor could he put a finger on proving Kise as the link to waylaying the goods from his cartel. Kise, under the protection of Kaijo, had undoubtedly riled up Haizaki by getting under his skin in this manner.

  
Always one hop, skip, and a jump ahead.

  
Haizaki slapped his hand away derisively. "Only one way to make you shut up, Ryouta."

  
"Do I want to find out?" Kise asked softly, his other hand slowly tickling the back of Haizaki's neck as he leaned into his warmth. "You and I, we had something, didn't we?"

  
His sentry waddled back in, took one look at what was going on, and quietly turned on his heel.

  
Twenty more minutes of shower time.

  
Kise could barely resist the growing urge to wrap his hands around Haizaki's neck, feel his heartbeat pulsing beneath his thumbs as he pressed in, cutting the air supply from his lungs-

  
No.

  
He needed to stop thinking about that. Picking fights with Fukuda Sogo in Teiko was the last thing Kaijo needed on their hands right now. Kasamatsu would be furious with him. Still, Haizaki had wandered into his personal space, and Kise was always ready for an excuse to feel blood on his skin.

  
Haizaki shoved him back into the wall, blade at the ready. His face was heating up - either from the close proximity between Kise's naked body and his own semi-clothed one; his own towel hanging loose on his hips, or the thrill of stabbing Kise in the throat was getting to him.

  
"Turn around." He ordered, gaze steely.

  
The blade of his knife was cold.

  
Kise bit his lip and looked down. Haizaki was hard.

  
"So it's going to be like this, huh."

  
"Turn around." Haizaki repeated, voice dangerously low.

  
Kise complied, wincing a little as the blade sliced a shallow cut against his neck when Haizaki shoved him around roughly, hand on his hip.

  
"After I'm done with you, each of my boys get a turn." Haizaki hissed against his ear, free hand roughly squeezing at Kise's right ass cheek, sliding the tip of his cock between his legs. "You answer to me, and only me. I'll let you play your little games with sucking Kasamatsu's dick and Midorima's, but they'll go down soon enough. I'll see to that."

  
Kise's eyes flew open. "You think I'm sleeping with Midorima to get Shuutoku allied with Kaijo?"

  
"Why else? They're breeding you nicely." Haizaki slapped at his ass. "And from what I hear, that Touou ace is interested in you."

  
"Aomine?" Kise shook his head as Haizaki's words took a minute to sink in. "He's about as crazy as you - _nnnh_!"

  
Kise gasped at the sudden intrusion of Haizaki's finger roughly plunging into his ass, tightening up as he grit his teeth, forehead against the wall. The feeling was painfully dirty, disgusting, kicking his mind into overdrive. He didn't mind the pain; relished it in fact.

  
Just fifteen more minutes left, he presumed, until he could sink his fingers down Haizaki's throat and rip out his still beating heart.

Dark dark nothing but darkness and the red, red of blood from Haizaki's heart- Not eating that would be a shame; the blood would trickle down his fingers and bathe the tiled floor in a red so deep he could lose himself in the color, the smell piercing through his senses and setting him on a high so intense nothing else would be able to pull him from relishing in the feeling of being one with his true self in the bloodbath, dark dark and more darkness but now tinged with red so beautiful, so mesmerizing- how ironic, this sweet setting of being in the bath amidst the strong stench of blood, now partly his own, and he could already see it in his mind's eye, Haizaki's eyes growing dark as his life force seeped out of him in a bubbling ma-

  
He'd turned, somehow, in his delusional state of mind, untrimmed nails of his thumbs sliding into shallow crescents on Haizaki's throat, the sheer power of his hunger for blood staining his hands overtaking his rival's own force, making his struggle, wide-eyed, on the damp floor, while the rest of Fukuda Sogo rushed foward, their own knives at the ready-

  
The harsh thump of fists colliding with bone snapped Kise out of his maniacal trance.

  
Haizaki was unconscious, bleeding on the floor, a bloody bruise forming on the back of his head from where Kise had been slamming his skull, sitting atop his towel-covered cock, which was still erect, twitching under him.

  
Kise felt the delirious grin plastered on his face falter and crack, as horror set in with a terrific crash of the darkness he'd been enveloped in, crumbling to pieces and allowing the dingy light of the shower room to slap all his senses back to reality.

  
What had he just done?

  
Red hair entered his field of vision, and eyes the color of blood caught Kise's attention.

  
"I'd ask if you're alright, but you look like you've just been caught with your cock in someone's ass. Or vice versa." A deep voice sent vicious thrills spiking up and down Kise's spine. "Can you stand?"

  
Kise took his proffered hand, as if on auto, and allowed the handsome redhead to wrap his towel around his waist.

  
Standing up to his full height, Kise realized the other man was significantly taller and broader, well built for someone his size. He had an aura of something strangely feral about him, much like Kotaro and Aomine, whom Kise hadn't seen in a while since their last outdoor encounter. Still, he didn't feel as dangerous, but Kise was on high alert all the same.  
The redhead motioned to the inmates who had followed him into the shower room. They lifted Haizaki bodily and marched out the door.

  
There was still no sign of any sentry. Kise took a deep breath.

  
This man had just witnessed him almost kill another.

  
Who was he serving? Would he tell anyone of what he had seen? Did Kise need to kill him? If so, he needed to act now. Which Family was he-

  
Thoughts and panic clouded his mind, and the darkness was settling in fast, chasing the lights out of his line of vision like angry rain clouds blocking out the sun before a storm.

  
Dark dark red blood and a deep darkne-

  
"I guess you're done showering." The redhead led him out of the cubicle, voice as calm as a still ocean. "Seems like you took care of Haizaki. Beat me to the punch, or should I say, chokehold. Been wanting to have a chat with this guy for a while. He was picking on a buddy of mine while I was in isolation."

  
Isolation? What had this redheaded angel done? Also, while he was at it, what had Kise himself just done to Haizaki? Inflicting bodily harm on another inmate; Kise was half expecting his own death sentence after stepping out of the shower.

  
Red hair, red eyes.

  
Where had he seen this man before? Kise couldn't place him. He wasn't even sure if they had met in the past.

  
Shaking his head to clear his mind, Kise offered him a smile. "I owe you one, I guess. But I'm also guessing your help comes with a price."

Not that he was willing to part with any sort of monetary payment.

  
Sparing him a short laugh, the redhead leaned down in a smooth effort to steal a sudden kiss from Kise's lips, jolting the blond into a frozen moment of surprise.

  
"I'll keep your offer in mind." The redhead tilted his chin at a better angle before diving in for another kiss. "For now, how about we get rid of this?"

  
His hand groping his naked cock sent warm tingles through Kise's veins. He felt a deep feeling of intense want, especially with this strange man, who was so poised and who seemed to know just exactly what he was doing. No harm indulging, just this once. He _did_ come to shower with a purpose, after all.

  
Kise allowed himself to be kissed again, moaning into the taller man's mouth as his large hand stroked his cock, expertly fondling his balls before sliding between his legs to stroke his perineum.

  
The blond stiffened.

  
"Just relax." As if reading his mind, the redhead spoke low into his ear, nibbling on the side of his neck, making Kise melt in his arms. "Go with the flow."

  
God.

  
Was this man a gift from the heavens?

  
"Mmnnh." Kise moaned, mouth finding the redhead's once more as he slid his arms around his neck and shoulders, feeling his strong muscles rippling beneath his touch. "I don't know you- unh- didn't we just meet?"

  
"Let's not be strangers." The redhead had him up against a wall - it could even be Haizaki's dead body and Kise wouldn't even care being this far gone, fully melted and completely lax in this incredible man's arms - supporting his weight effortlessly, hands and lips and tongue so gentle. "I'm Kagami Taiga, at your service."

  
Fuck.

That name suited him somehow.

  
Kagami just knew where to lick and suck and where to stroke and squeeze and oh, Kise felt like coming just hearing his voice-

  
"Ryouta. Kise Ryouta." He managed between kisses, spreading his legs and allowing Kagami access, wanting him deep inside him so badly, right now his insides were so empty it was almost painful. "Inside Taiga, I want-"

  
"Yeah, I know baby, but-" Kagami murmured, ducking down to suck and nibble at Kise's left nipple, making the blond arch into him, a soundless gasp forcing his kiss-swollen lips apart as the sensations spiked jolts of sensual electricity coursing through his veins.

  
Kagami had three fingers pumping and scissoring inside of him - Kise had barely registered when he'd even put them in; the wet, lewd sounds filling his ears and taking over his senses as he was finger fucked - getting him loose and ready and completely slick in the palm of his hand.

  
Moaning at the loss of Kagami's fingers, Kise bucked against the handsome redhead's hips. Kagami soon hushed the blond's vocal protests with a deeper kiss, tongue sliding over Kise's, supporting his weight carefully as he spread his long legs apart.

  
The blond gasped, inhaling a sharp intake of breath as he felt Kagami's thick, hot length slide right into him easily, his slick entrance welcoming the redhead into his wet heat. It barely hurt - Kise's pain tolerance was high - but Kagami successfully distracted him with another kiss anyway.

  
Kise released a moan in a pitch he never knew he could reach as Kagami started thrusting, seeing stars as the redhead matched his pace with the tingly spot Kise had within him, hitting all his sensitive places as if he'd known just by looking at him. As his slick hole sucked in the redhead's thick cock, the smack, smack, smack of his balls slapping against Kise's ass was lewd; stuff he'd only heard in pornos where the actresses played pretend like it was the best cock they had ever received - but here he was, moaning as loud as they were trained to do, matching pitch and feeling sensations he'd never had before, with Kagami's wild, hungry way of fucking him so deep it shoved his mind into a reeling mess.  
It wasn't long before Kise felt like he was about to explode; several more deep, hard thrusts, and Kagami was spurting his red hot seed into him without warning, cock twitching inside of him, sending Kise into overdrive as he hit his peak simultaneously, climaxing onto the redhead's chest and his own with a breathless moan.

  
Breath ragged, Kise came down from his ecstatic high, chest heaving alongside Kagami's as he went limp in the redhead's grasp. As Kagami gently set his legs down, Kise felt like collapsing. The redhead was instantly pushing up against him, lips covering his own in a molten kiss as he supported his weight.

  
Kise felt his come dribbling down his inner thighs.

  
Kagami was fucking amazing.

  
Also, he needed another shower.

  
He made sure the redhead knew, making Kagami chuckle. It sounded nice. In the haze of his murky thoughts, Kise wondered if he could make him laugh again, before Kagami pulled him closer, sliding himself in for another round.

  
x

  
Three hours later, in Kagami's cell, lying in his bed, nestled up against his warm body, Kise sleepily mulled over the episode that had just occurred.

  
What the _hell_ had come over him?

  
Also, _who_ was this beautiful redhead who had just waltzed right into his space and claimed him?

  
He knew Haizaki, and didn't like him, either. That was one unexpectedly good thing about this giant mess Kise had gotten tangled into.

  
Kise blinked and lay motionless for a moment, digesting everything. Kagami didn't seem dangerous. Still, he hadn't died tonight - not by Haizaki's hand, at least.

  
Allowing sleep to finally overtake his thought-crowded brain, Kise supposed he should touch base with Kaijo in the morning.


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagami's existence is brought to Aomine's attention.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Aomine.

"Yo." Imayoshi tossed a pack of cigarettes at Aomine, who caught it in one hand as he lounged lazily on his bunk. "There's been a fight."

What else was new?

Aomine clicked at his lighter and inhaled. "And?"

The metal springs creaked as Imayoshi settled on the bunk opposite him, grinning. "In the shower room on Block B."

"What's your point?" Aomine huffed out a breath of tobacco infused air. "There's always fights in the shower room."

Steepling his fingers, Imayoshi's grin grew a little wider. "This one was between Haizaki and that little blond Prince of Kaijo you have your eyes glued on."

Sitting up a little straighter, Aomine tossed the half-used cigarette onto the grimy cell floor before repeating his question. "And?"

"What's this?" Imayoshi asked in a teasing tone. "You're finally interested?”

“Quit yapping and just tell me.”

“I find it unusual. What do I get out of this if I do?”

Shaking his head, Aomine sighed. “Imayoshi.”

“I'll tell you if you suck me off right here and now."

Aomine stared. "Only if you want your dick bitten off."

Imayoshi's laugh was mocking and did nothing to soothe the fraying nerves Aomine was feeling. "Funny. And here I was thinking it couldn't get any worse for you, incarcerated and no longer able to carry out your duties for Touou, but it seems you're doing just fine trying to extend ... shall we say,  _ alliances _ , with Kaijo in their time of need."

Gritting his teeth, Aomine looked away, intent on not allowing Imayoshi the pleasure of ribbing him.

"Know that you are about to step into unknown waters, if you're going to play follow the leader with your dick." Imayoshi grinned at the look on Aomine's face. "And yes, I do know about your little infatuation with Kaijo's Prince. If you make him your priority right now, I can give you a couple of scenarios that will go down in the near future."

"I'm not  _ infatuated _ -"

“Save it for your funeral. It's not that hard to see your eyes follow him wherever he goes, and wherever he goes, you're always somewhere close. Slacking off on what you're supposed to be doing, finding every moment to watch him, talk to him, look at him – god, are you a fucking lovesick teenager?”

“I haven't been-”

"Look, Aomine. Denying isn't going to help you, or help us. If someone as dense as Wakamatsu can sense something's a little off with your game, you've got a big think coming." Imayoshi held up both hands to stop the tanned ace from interrupting. "What do you think the other Families are plotting? Rakuzan's Akashi is just biding his time in here. If they get out first, who knows what they have up their sleeve? I have to hand it to the guy; he's an oilier character than even I pride myself to be. There's a reason why he's allowed himself to get caught. We're nowhere near their level - formidable as our numbers are - and right now, from the news our sources have reported in the outside world, Kaijo has just been betrayed, and their boss has gone into hiding. Loathe are they to admit this, but their Family is weak to everyone. They've got rivals taking over their businesses, spoiling their cartels. It's not enough to just have allies anymore. Shuutoku at their side regardless; we all know how this is going to end up. We're strong, always have been. Let _them_ come to us."

Aomine silently lit another cigarette.

“And when they do, that's when we compromise. We take some of their cartels. We cover some of their losses. It's a win-win situation, however you see it. They get our support, as and when required. You get the blond.” Imayoshi adjusted his glasses with a smile.

"There will come a time when you're going to have to choose sides. And that will involve all of us following in your lead, because you're the crucial starring actor in getting all our asses out of here." Imayoshi lowered his voice. "When we break out - and we  _ will _ , because the Boss has been planning our escape routes to perfection - you can play Casanova with Kaijo's Prince all you want. But we need you completely focused on getting out - getting  _ us _ out. Make that your ultimate goal. No distractions."

Sparing him a grunt, Aomine avoided the sharp gaze of his Family's Captain.

“On the other hand, no harm getting Kaijo allied with us right now. All the better to beat Rakuzan at their game with combined forces – and you can beat each other off too, while you're at it.”

Aomine choked on his cigarette, reddening. “Fuck off.”

“Didn't think you'd be such a virgin about this.”

Imayoshi chuckled before relenting at the ace of the Touou Family's glare. “Anyway, see what I mean? There's multiple other scenarios of what will happen, and come what may, we're all riding the wave right now, waiting for a sign. The inmates are hungry. They're out for blood. Kaijo's inmates are the first on their hit list. It'll be like taking candy from a baby. It's up to you to show everyone we're strong now, especially within these godforsaken walls.”

“I can handle this.” Aomine stubbed out his cigarette.

Satisfied with the confident glint in his eyes, Imayoshi nodded and stood up. “See ya around.”

“Wait.” Aomine's leg cuffed his shins as he stopped him from leaving.

Imayoshi raised a questioning brow.

“What about that shower fight?”

Grinning, Imayoshi claimed a cigarette before leaning against the wall. “Haizaki was railing on him, apparently. Giving him the standard shower room welcome. No-” He shook his head as Aomine started. “I don't think he carried through.”

At the Touou Panther's puzzled gaze, he continued. “Kise's a lot stronger than you think. Than we all thought, to be honest. Haizaki suffered a concussion from head slamming and a chokehold. Though,” He smirked at Aomine's stunned expression. “It seems that beast boy from Seirin was involved, too. You be the judge.”

“Kagami?” Aomine narrowed his eyes. “With Haizaki, or with Kise?”

“Both, I presume. That's not important. Think about his main goal.”

It was too important, to Aomine, because his curiosity with Kise was endless and confusing, even to himself.

“What does Seirin get out of being Kaijo's ally?”

“You'd be surprised.” Imayoshi smirked, watching Aomine's puzzled expression. “I guess you haven't been in the Family long, but you should know that Family ties are strong, even more so in an extended one. Expanded territory, new business routes, and better places to launder their cash undetected.”

Thoughtfully, Imayoshi flicked away some ash from his knee. “Not a bad trade either, with a sweet piece of ass like Kise Ryouta's.”

Aomine exhaled and stood up. He decided he didn't need to know any more.

There were things to be done.

x

Feeding the sand from its sack base into the cement churn, Takao watched the slowly spinning machine do its job accompanied by the crunching hum of automation. He listened quietly to the voices and grunts of other inmates around him as they worked to build a second wall around the inner field of Teiko Penitentiary’s asylum level.

Several voices caught his attention as he sharply sought them above the whirring of industrial machinery, taking care not to take his eyes off the cement churn.

“- - shower room -- done in by that blond.”

“- - Number Seven?”

“- - bloodied and bruised so bad - - the Seirin thugs - - Kaijo Family - -”

“- - really? That skinny blond?”

They were talking about Kise.

Another inmate shuffled by to take his turn at watching the gravel churn into cement.

Shoving the empty sack to the side, Takao straightened up and pretended to stretch his back, allowing his eyes to rove the space where the inmates were working. Three burly men dressed in the asylum gray uniform were stacking bricks by the end of the fenced off area. One of them stood out with his tanned skin, and a blackwork gothic 8 tattooed on the side of his neck. His head had two lines patterned into the close-shave he was rocking.

From memory, Takao realized he was a member of the Rakuzan Family - the top tier infamous mafia class hailing from central Kyoto.

“- - come on, Eikichi, there’s only so much someone his size can take on.”

Ah, right.

Eikichi Nebuya, the dark skinned, tall inmate from Rakuzan with an intimidating build - Takao racked his mental files on the data acquired about this man’s background, but to his chagrin, found none. The members of the Kyoto-based Family were silent in their activity, and to this day, despite their strong ties with them, Shuutoku still did not know to what extent Rakuzan held reign over their criminal operations since the previous head had stepped down.

Unlike the other Families, Rakuzan’s young leader, a small redhead by the name of Akashi Seijuurou, had high interest in keeping their businesses and motives private. Still, Takao concluded, Eikichi being in Rakuzan was enough reason for one to be as wary as possible, as if taking in his threatening appearance did not suffice to make the knees of anyone with brains tremble.

“Haven’t you learned?” Eikichi was saying. “In Rakuzan, size don’t matter when it comes to killing.”

Takao looked away surreptitiously as Eikichi straightened up, eyes boldly scanning the grounds filled with working inmates.

“And killing’s what he’s good at.”

Kise? Committing crimes within the walls of Teiko Penitentiary? This accusation was hardly believable, based on the scale of how things were run on the asylum level. Despite how he looked, Kise would know better than that. Seriously injuring other inmates were dealt with whipping, electric chairs and isolation, depending on the casualty. Takao could only imagine murder would have dire consequences nothing short of death.

He made the mistake of looking up, sheer disbelief painted over his face. Eikichi’s eyes met his in a triumphant, knowing gaze. Feigning indifference, Takao offered him a curt nod before breaking the contact, mind abuzz with shock at what he had just gleaned. No doubt Eikichi knew he was in cahoots with the notorious Prince of Kaijo; every inmate who had attempted to stake their claim on the blond had been held back by the news of Shuutoku allying with Kaijo.

Takao mentally filed this bit of information away, intent on taking his time to digest it. Midorima would have something to say about this for sure – as well as Kasamatsu. It was best he got to them as soon as possible.

Somewhere, at the back of his mind, he wondered where Kise was. He'd returned to his cell, late that morning, and left as quickly as he could. They hadn't spoken. Takao had been half conscious, brain too addled with sleep grog to mind his blond cellmate, though judging by the sounds Kise had been making – the rustling of fabric – he had been changing uniforms.

Now, as Takao pieced the puzzle together, something must have happened. As unpredictable as Kise was made out to be, he'd maintained a morning routine that involved sleeping in till the prison alarms went off. What had possessed him to wake up and dress that early was a mystery. Unless, Takao mused as he made his way past a row of inmates aligning wet cement onto the wall, Kise had come in from somewhere else to get a change of clothes. The question was, where, and why?

As he headed to the supply building for more cement sacks, those questions started an avalanche, sending Takao's head spinning. Where had he gone off to after the shower room incident? Who had he spent the night with? How much trust could he place in Eikichi's rumors?

So distracted in this whirlwind of thoughts was he that he barely noticed the dark figures looming behind the corner of the building. Something hit the back of his head, and Takao went down easily, without a sound.

x

Section D of the asylum wing was bustling with noise - sounds of fighting amid cheers. Aomine strolled through the crowded hallway, aloof as always, narrowed eyes challenging any inmate ballsy meet his gaze.

Most of them shrank back or were pulled away by friends once they caught sight of his Family tattoo – the proud Touou crest inked into his tanned skin.

“What's this?” Aomine jerked his chin at the roiling mass of inmates crowded around something before his path.

Having noticed his tattoo, the unknown inmate next to him quailed under his stare. Brown hair, brown eyes, and a trembling frame that reminded him of Sakurai made Aomine almost chuckle.

“T-t-t-there's a – a f-fight.” The nondescript inmate quibbled. “F-from last night, apparently. Uh... there's this g-guy from Fukuda Sogo, rallying s-some other inmates to s-support his um, his cause? His... his... well, it's against this other guy from K-Kaijo...”

That was painful to listen to, but easy enough to decipher after Imayoshi had filled him in earlier. Aomine nodded his thanks to the shaking inmate and noted his own tattoo on the back of his neck – what this obvious sidekick was doing in the Seirin Family was questionable.

“Know where I might find your Family's Tiger?” He watched the blood drain from the inmate's face as he processed his question.

“K-K-Kagami... ?”

“Don't know any other.”

“H-He's not here!” The inmate held up both hands weakly. “I-I think he's on kitchen duty in Block B!”

Taking pity on the mousy inmate, Aomine scanned his collar. “How do I read the kanji on your name?”

The inmate's ears turned pink. “Oh! It's... F-Furihata Kouki.”

“Thanks, Furihata.” 

He barely registered Furihata's squeak at hearing him say his name, before striding forward into the crowd of inmates cheering and chattering. The noise died down as soon as most of them noticed his presence.

“Yo, Haizaki.”

The cornrowed inmate from Fukuda Sogo was standing in the middle of the rally, foot on one fallen inmate who was cowering under his kicks. The piercings on his ears glinted as he turned to look up.

“Daiki, still poking your nose in where it doesn't belong, I see.”

“What are you on about?” Aomine walked closer, hands in his pockets. “These sections belong to me.”

It was true; Touou supporters outranked any other Family in Teiko, albeit spread out on all levels of the penitentiary.

Haizaki snarled his response. “And right now, you're about to leave.”

“M'not in a hurry.” Aomine drawled lazily, though he took no pleasure in watching Haizaki lose his cool. “You, on the other hand, look like you were in a rush to get out of the medic bay.”

Also true. Haizaki had bandages messily wrapped, partly over his head and mostly over his neck, which Aomine noticed had particularly thick swathes coiled around.

“Never liked doctors.” Haizaki spat, eyes darting over to a bald man, whom Aomine hazily remembered as Mochizuki. “Always too sterile for my liking. Too careful. I don't like being around tight asses.”

Mochizuki stepped around behind Aomine, signaling several other inmates to flank the tanned Touou ace. Aomine lazily noted the glints of the blades of their shanks and one inmate twirling a white sock with something heavy within – most likely cradling a padlock, or galvanized pipe pieces from the workshops.

“Getting a little soft, Haizaki?” Yawning, Aomine rolled his shoulders. “I see the Kaijo Prince fucked you up good.”

Haizaki's face was a brilliant shade of beetroot anger. “Motherfucker.”

“Interesting.” Aomine replied quietly. “And now you're here attempting revenge on someone who kicked your ass last night. But you're too pussy to do it on your own, so you need a bigger gang. How much of a sore loser are you?”

Aomine dodged a blow from a slab of corrugated iron – how the hell had Fukuda Sogo's inmates slipped past the guards with these weapons were beyond him – and aimed a smooth kick that sent Haizaki and two inmates flying backwards into another.

“Guess I'm right.” Aomine chuckled. “Always so transparent. You never change, do you?”

He leaned his weight to the right and broke an inmate's arm as he tried to swing the weighted sock at his head. Crying out, the inmate fell to the floor, clutching his distended limb in agony.

“Fuck!” Haizaki was backing away into the crowd, rally be damned. “I'll fucking kill you, Daiki, you just motherfucking wait-”

Aomine didn't bother with a comeback as he grabbed an inmate rushing him, before tossing him in a throwdown. The inmate's head hit the steel bars barricading the hall's windows, and slowly slid down the wall, unconscious. No one else came at him after that.

The crowd was quickly dispersing as the inmate's collar beeped and blinked red, his heartbeat decreasing as he died. Sentries were already on their way.

Cracking the kinks out of his neck, Aomine walked on, making his way to the bridge that linked Block A and B to D.

He had some kitchen duties to crash.

 


	7. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything goes according to plan.

Block B was noisy with the clangs and clattering of pans as the working inmates transferred food from the cooking area to the serving trolleys. Said trolleys would be wheeled up to the secured elevators by whoever was on duty, and then passed on to the inmates working on each level of the block. Teiko’s security would be watching their every move, naturally.

 

Each inmate on duty would have something akin to a ‘hall pass’ which allowed them to traverse the block and collect the empty food trays back onto the trolleys. And these ‘special treatment’ food trays were actually for inmates who were in isolation - those who had committed crimes within these walls, or for those who were, well, mentally unstable to be within vicinity of other inmates. Lots of them were transfers from other blocks, too. Should these inmates ever escape or cause disruption, their asylum collars were ingrained with a special chip that would allow any available security member to shock their system with 15mA of electrical current - rendering their muscles useless for a certain period of time. This in turn would allow Teiko’s security to easily maneuver them back into their cells.

 

To say that there was no means of escape would be giving up too soon, because Kise Ryouta was good at finding ways to cheat his way out of things. He honestly believed there was a slim chance of him getting out of the penitentiary, but it would take more than a year of scoping the place, getting used to the ways of the sentries, and charting out his route. He couldn’t quite stop there, either. Figuring out a Plan B was also on his agenda. And if that Plan B failed, he needed to have a Plan C. Kise looked and behaved like he half-assed everything in life, but his mind would often have several go-to options that most wouldn’t be able to think of, given the limited resources he had at hand.

 

One of the inmates who would play a major part in escaping with him, Kise mused, would definitely be Takao. Once a friend, always a friend. Even if he hadn’t really been seeing Takao all that often lately.

 

Curious where his mischievous partner was, the Prince of Kaijo slid out of Block B, entering the back stairs of Block C. The inmates there didn’t seem to bother with him, despite his blond hair that stood out among the common brunettes and dark haired men. Kise felt vaguely thankful, and also a little wary. Eyes that he would expect to usually stare were now focused on the ground or elsewhere.

 

Something must’ve happened.

 

True enough, as Kise strolled his way through the corridor, with his hands in his pockets, right hand twirling a little shiv, his left a small blade nicked from a careless inmate - his sharp eyes chanced upon a short, nervous guy with large eyes. He reminded him of a puppy. His shoulders and hands were trembling.

 

Kise’s eyes narrowed - the inmate could possibly be high on smuggled heroin, or he’d just witnessed his first fight, where the guy on the losing end most likely ended up with his entrails strewn across the hall.

 

“Hey.” He clapped the shaking inmate on the shoulder.

 

Brown eyes looked up at him as his body quivered. Kise noticed the kanji on his collar - Furihata.

 

“H-h-he-h-h…” Eyes bugging, the inmate seemed to be having issues with coherency. He looked very ready to pass out.

 

“Do you know what’s going on?” Kise smiled gently. “In this block, and the block beyond…?”

 

Best not be too familiar with him by using his name. In the back of his mind, he knew it was no use forcing an answer out of this guy. The worst that could happen was probably the guy peeing his pants or fainting, of which meant Kise would need to carry him to the infirmary, or quietly dump him in someone’s cell.

 

Furihata Kouki was having a very lousy day - first, having been instructed by Seirin’s right-hand-man to walk down and simply gather intel by watching Haizaki Shougo fight someone he didn’t really know, only to experience a run-in with none other than Aomine Daiki, the Black Panther of Touou. And just when he thought he could rest easy and head back to his cell for a much needed breather and possibly a long nap, Kouki somehow managed to get noticed by the Prince of Kaijo, yet another dangerous inmate literally everyone steered clear of.

 

Well, everyone who still wanted to live, anyway.

 

Kouki had no idea how he always ended up in dangerous situations with dangerous people. Maybe he needed to consult the rumored Good Fortune God residing in the Shuutoku inmate block, that he’d heard Chinese whispers about.

 

“U-u-um,” Furihata tried. “I-I-I’m not r-really sure m-m-myself, but I j-j-just came from B-Block D, a-and Fukuda Sogo’s H-H-Haizaki was t-there with A-A-Aomine f-f-fr-from T-T-Touou…”

 

God, that was terrible on his ears. Absently rubbing his shoulders, Kise wondered how else to ease this poor pup’s heart. Or maybe the guy was just born with a bad stutter.

 

“He-” Furihata swallowed loudly. “He k-k-killed a m-man.”

 

Kise raised an eyebrow. “Who did?”

 

“The B-Black Panther.”

 

Well, what else was new? This was prison, and that was very Aomine.

 

“Who died?” Kise smiled hungrily.

 

Furihata quailed. “S-Some random inmate… I-I don’t know anything else… I swear!”

 

Kise thanked him and moved away, allowing Furihata to fall to his knees and let his trembling take over. He found the guy a little pathetic, but also very cute. He didn’t need to look twice to know his Seirin tattoo was on the back of his neck - only the Seirin Family had a knack of taking in quiet boys like Kouki. He never underestimated them. They were incredibly useful people. And most times, they had a tendency to be pretty dangerous when the time called for it, too.

 

x

 

Midorima sat in his cell, waiting for news from one of Shuutoku’s men. No one seemed to be able to tell him where Takao was, either. Also, Kise couldn’t be found. He did hear that there had been a minor scuffle in the construction area, but he still hadn’t heard from Takao yet. It was so convenient that no Shuutoku ally had been around at the time, too. His mind was awhirl with thoughts that he didn’t quite need at the moment, and it was taking all of his patience to tamp them down. He couldn’t ignore that niggling feeling in his gut, though.

 

“Yo.”

 

A soft knock on the side of his bunk made Midorima’s heart leap up into his throat - but it wasn’t Takao, in fact, it was someone else equally surprising.

 

Kasamatsu of Kaijo stood at the doorway to his shared cell, hands in his pockets. He looked like he normally did - pensive and broody, not unlike the days the Shuutoku ally would when they paid regular visits to each other between Families.

 

“You look good.” Midorima nodded at him.

 

Kasamatsu smiled, taking one of his hands from his pocket. He held something out in his fist.

 

“For you.”

 

Midorima paused for a moment before accepting whatever it was. What he saw made his mind instantly jump to conclusions, but managed to stay calm.

 

“Where did you get this?” He studied Kasamatsu’s face.

 

“It was on my bunk.” Kasamatsu shrugged. “But the name on it was yours, so I figured one of your messengers must’ve gotten the wrong bunk.”

 

Midorima looked down at the little green rock, which was something from his hidden lucky item stash, something only Takao knew about.

 

“My name?”

 

Kasamatsu tossed him a small piece of brown paper. It looked like it came from the laundry sheets that the inmates on duty would use to wrap cleaned uniforms before moving them through the asylum blocks. The writing looked vaguely familiar - but Midorima knew it wasn’t Takao’s scrawl. He couldn’t quite place it.

 

“So you don’t know who gave this to you?” He narrowed his eyes at Kasamatsu, who shrugged again.

 

In the middle of lighting a cigarette, the Kaijo inmate raised a quizzical brow at him. “Is it something important?”

 

Important, yes, but even more suspicious was the way Kasamatsu got the item.

 

“Yes and no.” Midorima took the proffered cigarette. “Anything else you can tell me about it?”

 

“Not really.” Kasamatsu looked confused. “Look, I gotta head back. There’s some Kaijo kids who’re bringing in some intel from the outside. See you, I guess.”

 

Midorima nodded his thanks for the rock and the cigarette, but kept his eyes on Kasamatsu as he left, making his way down the hall. As he turned the little green rock over in his hand, the Shuutoku ace mulled things over in his mind. Something was definitely off - he could feel it, but couldn’t place it. And that, to him, was the most annoying feeling in the world.

 

A short knock on the side of the grill to his cell snapped him from his thoughts. Midorima looked up, irritated that other inmates could easily sneak up on him today, even if they probably weren’t trying.

 

Yuuya stood in the doorway, arms crossed. He looked agitated. “What’s up, glasses.”

 

“I told you not to call me that.” Midorima gave him a half-hearted glare. “What do you need? I don’t have information on Rakuzan just yet.”

 

The Shuutoku assassin uncrossed his arms and shook his head. “Not that, glasses. Have you heard? We’ve lost some of our cartel to Kaijo.”

 

“Just?” Midorima felt a headache coming on.

 

“About a couple days ago. The news came in from one of the lawyers who just spoke to my big brother.” Yuuya sighed. “The routes in West Tokyo have been taken, and several from the South too. It’s major. We didn’t expect it.”

 

“Not from Kaijo.” Midorima clenched his fist around the rock.

 

Nodding in agreement, Yuuya walked in a little closer so he could speak a little softer, after checking the corridor for any unwanted ears.

 

“I heard rumors that Kaijo took Takao, too.”

 

x

 

Aomine Daiki was a man who lived by a set of rules that maintained a small sense of order in his routine. Three years in Teiko Penitentiary had taught him enough to know who was Top Dog, where to be at the right time, and never to ignore that sense of instinct he had spent honing for the better half of his lifetime, regardless of where he had ended up.

 

And this instinct told him something was about to go down, not necessarily of the good kind.

 

The twinge somewhere around his solar plexus strongly reminded him of heartburn, but Aomine didn’t like ignoring it in favor of denial clouding his instincts. Nothing and no one of note had been in the kitchens down in Block B. It had been a waste of time, but he did notice one of the boys from Yosen’s Family who had a penchant for being dark and gloomy, with the same ring tied around his neck the way Seirin’s Tiger had. That had been interesting.

 

But Kagami himself had not been found, and Aomine had been too proud to ask where he was. Another inmate who was on kitchen duty, possibly from Kaijo’s Family, had been particularly chatty, however, and was persistent in asking him to help him get girls. Once he managed to finish his sentence in Teiko, that is. Which was, coincidentally, in about the next ten years.

 

Stalking into his cell, Aomine ground his molars as he found it occupied. Imayoshi lying on his bunk, hands clasped on his stomach reminiscent of the universal coffin pose, a mocking smile on his face as his eyes remained shut as per usual.

 

Firstly, Imayoshi had the gall to lie on his bed, and secondly, his standard prison shoes looked filthy. On a normal day, Aomine wouldn’t get worked up over anything other than the latest smuggled edition of Horikita Mai, but today was a day when anything and everything could set him off like a faulty grenade.

 

“Out with it.” Aomine snarled.

 

“How much do you want to know?” Imayoshi sniggered from his lying position, further adding to Aomine’s throbbing temper.

 

“Glasses.”

 

“I do wear them.”

 

Aomine strode forward and promptly sat on Imayoshi’s stomach, squeezing the air out of him in a well-deserved round of struggled choking.

 

“You know I’m skilled at watching victims breathe their last breath.” Aomine leaned over Imayoshi’s chest, further escalating the older man’s struggling motions from insufficient air. “If that’s the way you’d like to end your life, let me know. Rearranging your organs would require more time, so this method is perfect.”

 

Imayoshi held up both hands. “I’ll say it.”

 

Minutely satisfied, Aomine moved over to occupy his thighs and allowed him approximately ten seconds to catch his breath.

 

“Kaijo’s star has somehow merged connections with Seirin.” Imayoshi wheezed, rearranging Aomine’s pillow under his head. “And that little black haired Hawkboy has just gotten himself into some major trouble with Rakuzan.”

 

“You sure? The one Kise always talks to?”

 

“It would be terrible to say my sources are wrong.”

 

Imayoshi cracked his eyes open, all mirth leaving his expression. Aomine met his gaze with a brooding stare.

 

“What would Akashi want with someone like him? He’s Midorima’s brat. I don’t get the black-haired hype you glasses freaks get worked up about. You even had this phase with Seirin’s Eagleboy.”

 

It wasn’t a lie. Imayoshi did have a sort of mild obsession over the vice-captain turned pun maestro of the Tokyo-based Seirin Family.

 

“Izuki was something interesting.” Imayoshi attempted to sit up, but failed at the test of strengths, and settled for a cross-armed position on the bed. “And I don’t know, alright? Just because you have a thing for blondes doesn’t mean everyone else would, too. I’m not Midorima. We don’t even have the same tastes. I’m just telling you what I heard.”

 

“Who did you hear it from?” Aomine narrowed his eyes. “I’m not doubting you, but you being anywhere near Shuutoku or Seirin is a marvel in itself.”

 

Looking slightly put out, Imayoshi shook his head. “I don’t kiss and tell, Daiki.”

 

Aomine shifted his weight over onto Imayoshi’s shins, making sure to sit down heavily.

 

“Alright, it was your little Phantom Sixth Man!” Imayoshi gasped at the pain. “Get off me!”

 

Tetsu?

 

_Tetsu_ was Imayoshi’s source of information? Well this was unexpectedly stupid, and incredibly vindictive. He’d known how vengeful the short stuff could be, but who knew Tetsu was the sort to get hellbent on that?

 

There were a couple things Aomine felt necessary to kick out of his system.

 

Firstly -

 

“Why?”

 

“What do you mean, why - ” Imayoshi rubbed at his shins as soon as Aomine stood up. “He came to me.”

 

Petulant though his senior seemed, Aomine was certain the glint in his eye was gleeful from the way Imayoshi cocked a brow at him.

 

Secondly -

 

“Tetsu’s not my Phantom whatever.” Aomine cracked his neck. “In fact he’s not my anything. Get that right before you say something like that again.”

 

“Something like that.” Imayoshi paused for full effect. “Is something you’re getting a little too annoyed about. I know, I know... you both clearly have some sort of shared history together, since before you joined the Family. Wasn’t there some sort of giant disruption between Seirin and Touou that set the both of you running in opposite directions?”

 

Okay, more than a couple things.

 

Thirdly -

 

“Why do you have to make it sound like we were past lovers or something?” Aomine hissed, the term _lovers_ making his skin crawl from the inside.

 

The magnitude of triumphant ego packed in Imayoshi’s grin was grating hell on his nerves, but Aomine forced self-control over his psyche so he didn’t raise a fist to the more senior member of the Touou Family, the one who constantly kept him in line, and the one who was, more often than not, always by his side with a healthy dollop of snide - but still good - advice. Imayoshi could get a side job as a smarmy lawyer if he wanted to, while still keeping his day job of being the right hand man to Touou’s leader, Harasawa. Aomine made sure he told him that, to which Imayoshi replied with a laugh.

 

“There’s nothing else this lawyer loves than a good romance story.” Imayoshi wiped his glasses on his uniform. “But if you don’t somehow get allied with that Prince of Kaijo, you’re not gonna get any rose petals in your plot.”

 

“Quit that. There is literally nothing between me and Kise.”

 

Sliding his glasses back on, Imayoshi gave him a pointed stare with his smiling eyes. “That’s right, because he’s busy taming Seirin’s Tiger.”

 

Aomine stalked out of the cell, wrestling with feelings he wasn't sure how to handle.

 

x

 

“This is Seirin.” Kagami was saying quietly, twirling a basketball on his finger lazily as he moved with a fluid, almost catlike grace through the gray cells that housed four bunks per room. “Most of us are in here.”

 

Seirin didn’t seem to have many men outside of Teiko, it seemed to Kise they were a more formidable force when they banded together within these walls. That probably explained why their cells were a lot bigger - four bunks to a square cell looked crammed at first, but with a second look seemed much more spacious than the narrow one he shared with Takao.

 

“Interesting.” Kise replied with equal quiet, matching Kagami’s pace easily. “Just curious, what got you into Teiko?”

 

“Arrested for making the world a better place, which I’m sure all of us have attempted at some point or another in life, including you.” Kagami responded smoothly without breaking stride. “Not gonna lie; I’ve heard of you, but I’d like to hear it _from_ you.”

 

Kagami could slide the direction of a conversation smoother than Kise could imagine Takao spreading cream over a slick surface. Biting his lower lip, the blond looked at the hallway ahead of them. Seirin inmates going about their usual tasks were watching him curiously, with a slight bow to their heads that told him of their respect.

 

“Murder.” Kise answered as he moved forward, noticing some inmates flinching as he passed. “Supposedly of the third degree, according to Kanagawa’s authorities.”

 

It had been bad.

 

The roomful of people he’d offed weren’t exactly small fry whose deaths could be easily covered up. There had been ample time for Kaijo to cover up Kise’s tracks, but there had been a mole - someone high up in line with the bigwigs, had the gall to cross the Kaijo Family’s thin line of trust, and had resorted to betraying the Family heads. Undercover cops posing as street men had supposedly been watching Kise’s every move for months on end. Kise had barely made it to his uptown apartment lobby before the authorities ambushed him and stuffed him into a sleek cop car. There hadn’t been a need for handcuffing, but they did it for the media to spread reassurance into the panicked public.

 

A pawn in the palm of the head honchos from the major Families - that was all Kise had been. All the work he’d built up for the past years crumbled into the dirt, and with it the freedom of being part of civilian society.

 

The Fall of the High and Mighty, news headlines reported. Teiko Penitentiary: Even Royalty Have A Hell To Retire To. When Kingdoms Crumble, What Happens To Their Prince?

 

Kise had watched the news in the living area of Teiko’s asylum level, stony-faced with an expressionless gaze amid the judgmental stares of other inmates, seemingly oblivious to their jeers and calls.

 

Internally, his fingers itched to curl around their throats, thumbnails pressing over the skin where their throbbing jugulars lay under, eager to feel them struggling for breath beneath his grasp.

 

“Did you make a difference?”

 

Kagami’s voice gently pulled him out of his pensive mood.

 

Well.

 

Kise was stumped, standing still as Kagami walked ahead, rolling the basketball between both hands. That was definitely food for thought - Kise had been the catalyst for change within the Kaijo Family, and to those allied with them, though he had no idea whether his actions had been for better or for worse.

 

Still, change was better than staying stagnant. He should not have regrets.

 

The seconds ticked by.

 

“Yes.”

 

Kagami turned, tossing the basketball toward him in a quick flick of his hands. Kise caught the ball with surprise.

 

“Long pause, quick reflexes.” Kagami was smiling as he repeated the last bit in Kise’s tone. “Interesting.”

 

Was he toying with him? Kise winced as he felt a dull twinge in his lower back - Kagami had been gentle, but damn, had he ever misjudged Kagami’s size. And what was the deal with that hypnotic conversation they had had in the shower room the night before?

 

“You’re good at this.” Kise fell into step beside the tall redhead. “Saving people, I mean. Is it one of your long-suffering traits?”

 

Kagami laughed. “Is this going to get habitual, analyzing someone you’ve just met?”

 

“Don’t answer my questions with questions.” Balancing the spinning basketball on the crook of his elbow, Kise spared the redhead a glance. “How’d you know where to find me?”

 

Kagami sighed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his uniform. “Are we getting into the details now? I thought we agreed to keep this casual.”

 

“We agreed on nothing.” Kise raised an eyebrow. “Except for taking care of my erection, which you did a wonderful job of. Though I’m sure I relieved something of yours, too.”

 

Breaking out into a laugh, Kagami reached out to steal the ball from the handsome blond. “Ooh, wily. I should’ve guessed you wouldn’t give in to me so easily.”

 

Smirking, Kise held the ball out of Kagami’s reach. “Is that why you decided to maneuver yourself into my pants?”

 

There it was, the strange spark in Kagami’s eyes, the swift change in his expression, something Kise had duly noted since events took a turn to allow them to collide. The redhead was hiding something, and it was definitely sending thrills of curiosity through Kise’s veins, this natural trait only urging the blond to discover more. Kagami was good at switching tabs between conversations, like it came naturally to him - and Kise could tell he was merely waiting for the ball to drop, for Kise to get frustrated, to see some sort of reaction from him.

 

What was his end goal, though?

 

“You’re overthinking things.” Kagami tilted his chin between finger and thumb, backing Kise into a wall he hadn’t even noticed was behind him. “There’s nothing you need to stress about. It’s all unnecessary rushing, you know? We have time to get to know each other.”

 

They were in a darkened cell, without the usual barred windows that had thick tempered glass registering 20,000 psi on the tough scale. Kise’s eyes automatically roved the dimly lit room, searching for ways of escape. His heartbeat rose, mind awhirl with creative ways to wrap his hands around the redhead’s throat.

 

“Hey.” Kagami leaned in, eyebrows furrowed with concern. “You’re not gonna flip out on me, are you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wowee prison drama!  
> Sorry if there are any grammar/spell errors, I did read through a couple times before posting though. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter ;)


	8. VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More prison drama, this time with an extra dose of Aomine. Also served with a side of unresolved beef named Kagami.

The mess hall was, in fact, a general mess of the masses. Inmates flowed in from four sides of the giant area for food, and each entrance had a total of four guards on either side of the doors - which were reinforced with steel and an automatic laser system that would eject 17mA of current that would render any human unconscious, much less any inmate. The entrances were designed to go on lockdown whenever Teiko’s security system detected a rise in hostility within these walls. It was a running joke amongst the inmates that the pen had just hired their guards and sentries for show - no one was ever going to be able to escape anyway. There had been one guy, however, who’d become something of a legend within these walls.

 

Kiyoshi Teppei, better known as the Iron Heart, a former Uncrowned King who rose from the slums of Tokyo, had been the one and only to actually make it out of the penitentiary’s walls and back into the world of crime for three solid years, before getting arrested with a life sentence. Those three years had been fruitful, however, opening a new door for their money laundering operations through several unassuming legitimate industries - hair salons, mom and pop restaurants, a couple of inns and family bar and grill joints.

 

The public loved Kiyoshi. Everyone who knew of him seemed to strongly support him in his ways with claims that he’d given his all to help them keep their businesses, allowing them to keep their livelihoods running. Without him, they would have crumbled under the pressure from larger yakuza Families who didn’t give a damn.

 

Unfortunately, his second arrest paved the way for the local investigation forces to warrant searches for the rest of his gang, to which they succeeded, after wreaking the Iron Heart with threats of bringing a loved one of his into Teiko with him. Defeated, Kiyoshi confessed the whereabouts of his gang members, and within a few months, the Uncrowned Kings were no more.

 

Those family businesses closed down, with territory eaten up by none other than the top dog of Rakuzan’s Family. Rakuzan’s leader, Shirogane, had seen to it that those families were well taken care of, to honor the Iron Heart’s legacy. This in turn had set the public into a confused spiral of which Family to be careful of and who to support them in their time of need.

 

An unlikely syndicate, the Uncrowned Kings had been quite the notorious gang back in their day despite their members coming from vastly different backgrounds. With Hanamiya at the lead, they had managed to run nefarious operations in broad daylight under the noses of the major yakuza Families - Touou, Rakuzan, and Shuutoku, without giving a flying fuck whose territory they were carrying out deeds on. It had quite the opposite effect on the yakuza, however, who eventually came to respect them, as well.

 

They had just been that good.

 

It was rumored that the Iron Heart had made enemies with the rest of the Uncrowned Kings after selling them out to the law, which was definitely understandable. But what truly made heads roll was the rumor that the one Kiyoshi gave all his gang members up for had also been arrested - he’d originally been a regular civilian, a normal, nameless salaryman before turning into one of the most vindictive crime lords in Tokyo. He’d somehow wormed his way into a high position within the Seirin Family before getting arrested, but it seemed fully intentional on his part. On his unedited public statement which the media released after much hoo-ha with the government, Hyuuga Junpei insisted that he had no regrets for doing what he did, and was in fact, proud for being sent to Teiko Penitentiary.

 

Seated at the Kaijo end of the cafeteria, Kise mulled the possibility of these two oddballs having suspicious relationship ties to each other, but gradually came to the conclusion that it wasn’t exactly any of his business. He was just a curious carnivore.

 

Done with behaving at the food line, Kasamatsu plunked his lunch tray down on the table beside him and slid onto the bench.

 

“This sucks.” He exhaled through his teeth. “I find myself missing Kanagawa’s seafood more and more every damn day.”

 

Kise offered him a half-smile and a thick cut of his mystery meat. “Sometimes I wonder if we’re having horse meat.”

 

A ball of blackened meat landed on the greasy cafeteria floor as Moriyama spat out his food in disgust. “That was hairy as fuck, I don’t think it’s horse meat, Romeo.”

 

Kasamatsu nibbled at a slice before giving up entirely. “I’ll get one of the boys to run me a little rendezvous trip to the kitchens before midnight.”

 

“Ain’t that a little too early for some stealin’?” Hayakawa lisped over a mouthful of meat.

 

The other Kaijo members watched him chew with something akin to wistful delusion. How Hayakawa was putting that into his mouth was one thing, but how he was downing it was also another. Moriyama hadn’t been lying about the hair.

 

“Rumor has it the stuff the Seirin boys get served is amazing.” Nakamura pushed his glasses up his nose. “An even better rumor is that Seirin’s Tiger is a pretty good cook when he’s on kitchen duty.”

 

Kise paused a little at the mention of Kagami, but kept a straight face. He didn’t know how much they knew of his own rendezvous with the redhead, and secrets were always better kept, well, secret.

 

The rest of Kaijo laughed.

 

“S’too good to be true.” Moriyama wheezed. “I’d kill to see him in an apron though. I’ve never stepped foot in Block B’s kitchens, ever.”

 

“Never?” Kise took a drink of water. “That’s new. How long have you been in the pen?”

 

“Bout nine years and counting.” Moriyama waved a hand nonchalantly. “I mean, I never had reason to go there. The lack of babes in here kills me every second but hey, what’s a hot-blooded man to do?”

 

Kasamatsu shook his head. “Yeah, no. I did hear Kagami’s cooking is pretty bomb.”

 

“I wanna try it!” Hayakawa declared hoarsely before coughing up a little hair.

 

Beside him, Nakamura moved away instinctively, dodging the flying regurgitated ball. Seated across from them, Kobori chided Hayakawa.

 

As the rest of Kaijo and other inmates chatted away, Kise leaned in close to Kasamatsu, indicating he wanted to talk. The voices of the others were proving to be a good distraction; loud enough to drown his own.

 

“What do you know about the Iron Heart?”

 

Kasamatsu gave Kise a side-eye. “What exactly do you  _ want _ to know?”

 

A sentry walked by, shoulders stiff as he studied the criminals behind a pair of smart glasses, no doubt sending his eye feed to Teiko’s surveillance systems. His gloved hands were at his sides, but Kise figured he was one of the newer guards on a rotational basis. Teiko was good with that. A lack of familiarity with their security officers made it all the harder to make a break for it.

 

Kasamatsu motioned to the door. Kise knew enough that there were too many eyes and ears in there, and kept his mouth shut.

 

“Be seeing ya’ll around.” Moriyama gave them a wink. “Keep my bunk warm, Yukio.”

 

“See you, handsome.” Kasamatsu replied with a smirk, walking over to the door.

 

They nodded at the guards by the door, who nodded back silently. Kise wondered if they spent 24 hours in their security kit, and if they were allowed to shower between shifts.

 

As soon as they exited and were out in the almost empty hallway, Kasamatsu turned to grin at Kise as he spoke in a low tone. “Our age-old code for seeing him back at the bunk. Guess he’s finally got his hands on some intel about Rakuzan. Or should I say, ears?”

 

Kise dug around in his pockets for some cigarettes. “He’s always been one for the sweethearts.”

 

Kasamatsu held a lighter up for him before lighting his own. They wandered casually over to an empty wall behind the cafeteria building and looked around for any unwanted eyeballs. The area wasn’t deserted, but the inmates milling around getting some sun before the end-of-lunch bell rang were far away enough to not hear what they were going to talk about.

 

“So his wife’s Hyuuga, captain of Seirin’s criminal cleanup crew.” Kasamatsu exhaled a puff of smoke. “Iron Heart’s never been one for the hardcore crime scene. He’s always been the good guy, even on the media.”

 

Kise listened, eyes roving the area between the blocks.

 

“Those rumors about the wife being a regular civvie true?”

 

“Well…” Kasamatsu took a long drag. “It’s true he was regular. Kiyoshi frequented his hair styling shop pretty often when he was still an Uncrowned King. Hyuuga and him, they go way back. He wasn’t a salaryman, though. That was kind of a weak front to protect his family’s business. He made sure to give them a good life ‘fore he entered the pen. Hyuuga’s a pretty wily guy.”

 

At the mention of their real names, Kise side-eyed his first lieutenant. “I take it you’re good with them.”

 

Kasamatsu sighed. “Yeah. We were on good terms before everyone got busted. Now, in the pen, I don’t know who’s on our side any more than they do. News from the outside seems pretty fucked up. No one seems to know where  Boss  is hiding.”

 

It was true. Kaijo’s head, Takeuchi, was nowhere to be found in the current situation. When he was in hiding, there couldn’t be any orders given, at least not out in the open. The state of their once prominent Family was suffering from the recent onslaught of their territories getting snatched by Yosen, Touou, Fukuda Sogo, and Kirisaki Daichi. In fact, it seemed that only Seirin, Shuutoku, and strangely, Rakuzan were the only Families who were minding their own business and not jumping into Kaijo’s. Without Takeuchi at the helm, there seemed to be no hope for most of the Kaijo bigwigs to help bail all their lieutenants out of Teiko.

 

Running a hand through his hair, Kasamatsu stomped on the dying embers of his cigarette with his boot. “I’m dying to head back out there and reclaim my racket. I can’t fucking waste another day in here, Kise.”

 

Humming in agreement, the Prince of Kaijo looked away, inhaling the last of his own cancer stick. “I know.”

 

There wasn’t anything they could do, being incarcerated. First off was actually getting their asses out of Teiko, which was nigh impossible given their impenetrable location. Secondly, what were they going to do once they were out? Living life as a fugitive wasn’t all that easy despite what Hollywood loved portraying in movies, not with several other Families who definitely recognized your face and were watching your every move. Thirdly, well, the state of Kaijo was just getting lower with each passing second without their head and their lieutenants.

 

Kise chewed this thought over in his mind. “Who’s still out there, d’you know?”

 

“Nope.” Kasamatsu leaned against the wall. “Moriyama might. Since Kobori’s in here, well, him too. He was the last to get brought in.”

 

With the ace, first and second lieutenants tucked away in the pen, there was no one of note who could slide into Boss Takeuchi’s place. Kise sucked in a final inhale of tobacco before crushing it out under his sole. That pretty much settled things. He was going to get Kaijo out of here, even if he died trying.

 

But first, laundry duty called. And maybe a haircut.

 

x

 

With a yawn, Aomine slid out of his cell once the lunch bell rang. Judging by how high the sun was in the sky, he’d most likely skipped the second meal of the day - not that he minded. Teiko’s food was known to be noticeably worse than what was served in most other prisons. When Aomine had done time in smaller county’s, the food had been the best.

 

What the Chinese whispers on every inmate’s lips were about though, was how good the Seirin Tiger’s cooking was. And whenever the boys heard he was on kitchen duty, they’d slink by the kitchens for him to toss them scraps like dogs. Aomine scoffed. Good food or not, panthers didn’t mix well with tigers.

 

On hunting grounds, though, they could make it even. Depended on what kind of game they were looking for.

 

“Glasses.” He nodded to Imayoshi, who was strolling out from his own cell not too far away. “Mama tells me you’re in need of some comfort.”

 

Mama was code for second lieutenant Wakamatsu, who could be an incredible nag whenever he wanted to be. And comfort, well, that usually ranged from anything between intelligence on the outside world to within the walls of the playpen they were in. The sentries were smart, though, never showing whether they understood or heard what was said. Still, there were often other inmates from different Families around. No harm in keeping things within their circle.

 

“Boohoo.” Imayoshi made a face. “Guess who’s on laundry duty today?”

 

Aomine looked at him.

 

“Your sweet prince, obviously.” Imayoshi’s grin was one Aomine wanted to wipe off, possibly permanently. “Block C, loverboy.”

 

“Don’t start.” Aomine snarled, hackles raising.

 

He hadn’t a clue why he continued to allow the Touou first lieutenant to keep getting under his skin like this. Maybe in the back of his mind, loathe as he was to come to terms with it, Aomine had a soft spot for Imayoshi, who never failed to irritate him at least thrice a day.

 

Imayoshi sweetly waved him down the corridor before disappearing into one of the many cells on the same floor. Aomine snorted before making his way down the walkway, avoiding bumping into other inmates as he strolled past. They would automatically swerve out of his way when he’d first entered the pen, but lately, the boys on his floor were getting used to his quiet, live and let live ways, even with his infamous backstory for being Touou’s Panther. He figured he needed to slam someone’s head against a wall to get inmates rattled again, pretty soon.

 

Block C’s inmates were a different story, though. Their eyes were hungry, wary, like little hyenas circling a lion sitting before its prey. Aomine took in the scene of working inmates before him as they carted and pushed trolleys of freshly laundered prison uniforms and the like in and out of the room down the long white hallway.

 

Spotting someone vaguely familiar, Aomine walked up to the inmate. “Watering your crops, Ryo?”

 

“Gah!” Sakurai practically jumped out of his skin, dropping the pile of folded towels he had been carrying to a laundry cart. “Oh man, it’s you, Aomine-kun. I’m sorry!”

 

Breaking out into a grin, the tanned Panther of Touou stopped the quivering man, getting down on one knee to help him gather the towels. The fresh scent from the pile somehow reminded him of Kaijo’s Prince.

 

“No, I’m sorry.” Aomine placed the towels into the cart. “Seen a certain pretty blond around, Ryo?”

 

“I-I’m sorry, but could you remember to use honorifics with y-your elders, please?” Sakurai couldn’t help himself, out of habit, and reached out to tuck Aomine’s loose uniform into the waistband of his pants. “A-and no, I’m sorry, I haven’t seen Kise-kun around. I’m sorry.”

 

Highly amused, Aomine smirked at Sakurai, who seemed to quail under his feral gaze.

 

“He c-could be in the kitchens.” Sakurai stammered, gently straightening Aomine’s collar. “O-or in the food hall. I’m sorry… it’s just that Kagami-kun makes nice food sometimes.”

 

Okay, what was it with this redhead who seemed to be taking every inmate’s heart by storm? Or to be more accurate, through their stomachs. Aomine narrowed his eyes.

 

“Am I gonna be finding them together?”

 

Sakurai finished patting down Aomine’s uniform and began re-folding his creased, rolled sleeves in a more proper manner. “It’s possible, Aomine-kun. Sorry. There. You look presentable now.”

 

Aomine stared at him. Sakurai murmured another round of apologies.

 

Running a hand through his hair, Aomine nodded at him by way of thanks and walked off in the direction of the cafeteria. A row of inmates were just being led out of their cells from an adjacent hallway, flanked by several guards packing long taser batons. Some of the inmates had bruises and a couple were limping along on crutches. 

 

Their tattoos looked familiar, and were from a small gang Aomine vaguely recalled was Meisei, on the far North of Tokyo. Meisei had been in a small alliance with Touou and Shuutoku for their aid with connecting the cartel operations in that section of Tokyo through to Saitama, mostly in return for protection against their rival gang in Kawagoe. Smaller groups often had frequent fights in their quest to reach the top tier. The eyes of the Meisei group darted to Aomine’s for brief moments before they were led away in a straggly pack, ushered by the guards’ waving batons.

 

“I take it you lost.” Aomine fell into step beside one of them who was moving slowly behind the pair with crutches.

 

The other inmate eyed him warily before giving him a small nod. “Aomine of Touou. Surprised you remember us.”

 

“Without your boss’ help, we wouldn’t have had smooth transports to Saitama.” Aomine obliged, sticking his hands into his pockets before handing the Meisei inmate a piece of paper.

 

It stated the details of his block and cell. The inmate immediately understood, and nodded his thanks before sliding it into his own pocket. It would help them a lot to have an ally in Touou here in the pen.

 

“We’re new.” The inmate murmured, standing in line at the entrance to the cafeteria as the door sentries scanned the collars of the ones before him. “Rakuzan gave us a warm welcome. Guess it’s the standard.”

 

Aomine casually slid into line behind him. “Interesting. They don’t usually play with small fry.”

 

“I take it you haven’t heard yet.” The Meisei inmate obediently tilted his head to the right to allow a sentry to access his collar. “In the outside world, they’ve taken over a large amount of us small fry. We’re technically Rakuzan’s property now. Dunno if it’s gonna reflect in here, but it sure looks like it.”

 

The sentry nodded them in as his scanner beeped, allowing their collars to turn green. Aomine digested this new piece of information before deciding that the inmate didn’t have any call to lie. Besides, he could always cross-check this with Imayoshi to figure out if it was true.

 

“Our alliance in here will still stand.” Aomine confirmed with a small smirk.

 

Nodding his thanks, the Meisei inmate shuffled away to join his crew at the food line. Aomine strolled right to the middle of the busy food hall, enjoying the voices that soon faded into silence as soon as he strode past. Inmates were still afraid of Touou’s Panther. He had a reputation to upkeep.

 

A flash of red hair caught his eye. Seirin’s Tiger was getting up from where he’d been sitting with the rest of his Family, balancing his tray with one hand. With the way he was holding it, he almost looked like a waitstaff.

 

“Running off to play?” Aomine stood in his way, hands stuck casually in his pockets. “Life must be easy for you, here in the play pen.”

 

“Are you saying it’s hard for you?” Kagami brushed past him nonchalantly, as if he was nothing. “That’s a surprise.”

 

Feeling annoyance grate on the edges of his nerves, the tanned man turned around to face Kagami’s back. “Unlike you, I don’t need me a little bitch to play with.”

 

Kagami stopped.

 

Aomine grinned. He’d taken the bait.

 

“You know, Aomine.” Seirin’s redhead said quietly. “Your jealous streak is showing a little too much. Sheathe your claws maybe. This isn’t a drama show.”

 

“Drama show? Show drama! It’s not a show-drama but a show-down - mmphgghh -” Seirin’s Eagleboy punned his way into having his mouth muted by none other than the Iron Heart, who murmured soothing noises to placate him.

 

More than a little irritated - mostly because Kagami remained unruffled - Aomine scoffed. “I’m not you, kitten. The wild’s where I’ll always thrive in.”

 

Kagami set the tray down at the disposal before calmly disinfecting his hands with the available sanitizer. He walked right back and faced Aomine, faces only a hair’s breadth apart.

 

“That’s why you’ll never do well with domesticated strays.” The redhead grinned. “I’m right, aren’t I, Panther?”

 

“He’s mine.” Aomine snarled. “It’s crunch time outside the pen. Kaijo  _ will _ ally with Touou.”

 

“Maybe.” Kagami growled back. “But in here, he can choose who he wants to play with. And right now, that’s  _ me _ .”

 

“Then let’s make a bet.” Aomine’s grin was borderline manic. “Kaijo’s Prince will bow to Touou first. If I win, I get the blond. You stay the hell away from what’s mine.”

 

Kagami raised his brows. “And if I win?”

 

“I stay away from him.” The tanned Touou ace stuck out a hand, simultaneously shoving Kagami in the chest. “Seirin gets Kaijo.”

 

After a moment of processing, Kagami grasped the tanned hand in his. “This will be interesting.”

 

They shared equally feral smiles before Aomine shook him off. The sound of someone clapping loudly, filling the quiet of the food hall, made both of them switch their attention away from each other.

 

“If it isn’t the top brass plotting a kidnapping.” Haizaki walked closer, a scheming look on his bad boy face. “I agree. It  _ will _ be interesting.”

 

The band aids and bandages were off his body, but some new scars remained in place. He’d healed up well from the shallow wounds. Kagami looked to Aomine.

 

“We’re nothing like you, Haizaki.” As he studied him, Aomine let his hands fall to his sides. “Not even close.”

 

Kagami nodded. “I’m not usually one to listen to rumors, but I have to say, the real gangsters are true gentlemen. We don’t do kidnapping. That’s a job for the lackeys.”

 

Haizaki bristled. Somewhere in the swiftly gathering crowd, someone went “oooh, siiiiick” before getting shushed. They were obviously attracting a lot of attention, both from other inmates and sentries.

 

“Let’s make this quick, Daiki, Taiga.” Haizaki raised both hands. “I’mma get to Ryouta first. Because I know I can. We’ve had history. We’ve made history. We gonna make history again.”

 

Aomine exhaled a long suffering sigh. “I’m not in the mood to play a losing game with a regular loser from Loserville, Shougo.”

 

Kagami smirked and looked away, back to where his Family sat nervously eying their discord. “Haizaki, I haven’t quite gotten to know you, but I’m pretty sure you’re already history.”

 

With a half-grin, Aomine clapped Kagami on the back. “Stop, you’re gonna make me laugh.”

 

“I wasn’t even trying.” Kagami shrugged.

 

Haizaki snarled some insults, but the arrival of sentries stalking down the hall tore the clashing trio apart.

 

Over at the Seirin table, the Iron Heart looked worried. His brows were furrowed, and furrowed even deeper upon the next peep from the dark haired man seated beside him.

 

“That clash of wildcats was a purrfect mewment.”

 

“Izuki, please.” Kiyoshi groaned.

 

“They sure had some claw-some cat-titude!” The ebony haired male pumped a fist.

 

“Enough.” Hyuuga snapped, turning away to place a hand on Kiyoshi’s.

 

Kagami strode away with a smile. Izuki called after him.

 

“Thanks for that meow-nificent show!”

 

Seirin’s table erupted with a weary chorus of “Iiiizukiiiiii!”

 

x

 

Completely oblivious to all that was happening down in the food hall, Kaijo’s Prince was given access through the entrance by his accompanying sentry, and entered the sterile room where Rakuzan’s Kotaro worked. Someone was just leaving from the opposite side of the other door, and judging by the silhouettes, had two sentries awaiting him. Kise figured he must be a newbie. Kotaro was leaning in the doorway and had a hand on the knob. Kise could only see his back and legs, garbed in the standard asylum uniform.

 

“---alliance with Shuutoku.” Kotaro’s voice was low, but Kise could still pick up some words if he strained. “Of course---”

 

“---keeping Takao for the time being.”

 

The other person’s voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Kise couldn’t place who he was. His sentry was being annoying and not allowing him to move around the room until the other inmate left. The blond was dying to see who it was.

 

“---Shuutoku---in the red.” Kotaro was saying, voice muffled by the door between them. “---care of him.”

 

There.

 

A flash of pale blue hair and eyes that were unmistakably Kuroko’s. Kise’s eyes followed the movements of the ghostly member from the Seirin Family through the reflective blade from the pair of scissors Kotaro was wielding as he leaned his arm against the doorframe.

 

Kuroko.

 

Rakuzan’s notorious Raiju shut the side door and turned to face Kise, who masked his shock with a blank expression.

 

“Yo.” Kotaro’s smile was infectious. “Good to see ya again.”

 

“Likewise.” Kise lifted a lock of his fringe. “It’s getting a little long. Think you could crop it for me?”

 

“Definitely. It’s my job.” Kotaro hummed as he set up the hair-cutting station around Kise after directing him into the chair.

 

The blond inhaled a quick breath before starting with his first question. “Who was that earlier?”

 

“No one of note.” Kotaro grinned, deftly sweeping up some pale blue hair from the floor tiles inside the dust-keeper before emptying its contents in the trash can built-into the wall. “Why the curiosity?”

 

“It’s in my blood.” Kise replied quietly, keeping an eye on both Kotaro and his sentry, who stood outside looking bored and expressionless.

 

Kotaro, he’d found out from Kasamatsu - who was proving to be an excellent source of information, especially before Kise joined Kaijo and during the times he had been incarcerated - had been quite the wild one when he was in a previous gang. Kotaro was known for being ruthlessly hungry when it came to the number of killings he could make. He was born to fight, and he loved every second of it.

 

Close to a decade ago, having earned himself the title of the Lightning Beast, or Raiju, as most of the inmates often would call him, Kotaro later joined hands with Seirin’s Iron Heart and Hercules - better known as Eikichi - to become one of the Five Uncrowned Kings. Certain circumstances within their group caused them to merge operations with larger Families, and then the Iron Heart got everyone arrested. Kise wondered about what made Kotaro decide to join Rakuzan, and if he managed to fulfill his death quota with the top ranking gangster group based in Kyoto.

 

“Takao,” Kise began, locking eyes with Kotaro, who shot a look at him the second he uttered the Shuutoku member’s name. “Is a close friend of mine. An even better ally than most allies go, I’d say.”

 

“Hnn.” Kotaro cracked his knuckles as he stretched.

 

“Should anything happen to Takao…” Kise shut his eyes as Kotaro parted his fringe with a thin comb.

 

“You’ll get mad.” Kotaro reached for his small steel trolley that housed all his hair styling tools. “I know, I know. Guys like you are a dime a dozen, I’d say.”

 

“You’ve never seen me mad.” Kise smiled.

 

Kotaro broke eye contact in favor of pulling the trolley toward them.

 

“Where is he?” Kise pressed.

 

“Let’s see.” Kotaro plugged in a hair trimmer at the electric socket nearby and adjusted its settings. “What makes you think I would know?”

 

He started trimming Kise’s hair, giving him a neat undercut, and a shorter fringe.

 

“I’m very sure you would.” The blond inmate responded with confidence.

 

Snip, went the scissors, and vrrrr, went the electric trimmer.

 

“Mmm?” Kotaro finished his work and took a second to admire his masterpiece before brushing all trimmed hair from Kise’s shoulders to the floor. “I most probably don’t.”

 

The sentry outside sauntered away for a golden moment, out of view and earshot from Kise’s seated position.

 

In a flash, Kise had Kotaro pinned to the tiled floor, filched razor from Kotaro’s stash at his throat, pressing hard enough to let the Rakuzan member know he meant business, but not hard enough to draw blood - yet.

 

“He was last seen in the construction site with members of  _ your _ Family.” Kise’s tone was calm, quiet, dangerous. His smile was cold.

 

“Mmmhnn.” With a soft groan, Kotaro’s eyes glazed over, a smile of his own curling the corners of his mouth. “You’re hella full of surprises -”

 

“Where. Is. Takao?” Kise ground out, forcing the tip of the blade into the skin of Kotaro’s throat.

 

“Do it.” Kotaro hissed, feral smile growing into a taunting grin. “Fuck, I  _ want _ you to -”

 

“Or, you know, don’t.”

 

At the sound of another voice, Kise glanced at the newcomer in the doorway. Touou’s Panther leaned against the frame, arms crossed, as he smirked down at them.

 

Well.

 

“Didn’t peg you for a rule follower.” Kise licked his lips at the sight of Kotaro’s blood trickling over his palm. “Getting bored of Touou, Aomine?”

 

“S’that who it is?” Kotaro breathed, fingers flexing as he stayed comfortably lax beneath Kise’s weight. “We’re in the middle of something now. Go away.”

 

“Nah.” Aomine grinned. “No can do. See, I’m in the middle of looking out for you both. Your sentry’s a little tied up right now, but he’ll be back soon. Guess you need to wrap up your little … foreplay session here.”

 

Kise turned his attention back to Kotaro, whose eyes egged him to slice through his throat and possibly into his throbbing jugular. The blond was conflicted - the sight and smell of the Rakuzan gangster’s blood was exhilarating and doing its darndest best to give rise to the tent in his loose uniform pants. But the sight of Aomine in the doorway was distracting, to say the least. Kise wasn’t too keen on the idea of sentries getting involved, not because he couldn’t take the punishment, but because he hadn’t killed anything for so long.

 

“Your tongue, then,” Kise leaned down, ochre eyes bearing holes into Kotaro’s dark ones. “Aren’t you a lucky one; your job doesn’t actually require you to speak.”

 

Kotaro relaxed against the floor and let his eyes slowly drift shut. “Princes shouldn’t be getting their hands dirty before a wedding.”

 

Aomine snorted.

 

What the hell was he talking about - was that code? Kise narrowed his eyes, tongue itching for a taste of Kotaro’s blood. Up close, the scent was amazing. He leaned closer to run his tongue over the shallow cut in the side of Kotaro’s throat. The other man released a soft moan.

 

“Shit.” Uncrossing his arms, Aomine peeled himself from the doorframe and straightened up. “That’s crazy hot. Mind if I join in?”

 

With a soft snap, Kise flicked a piece of the blade over at him. “Do us a favor and off yourself. You can have him when I’m done with him.”

 

Catching the blade in one swift movement between finger and thumb, Aomine chuckled. “Kaijo’s Prince never fails to amaze, or so they say. I guess they’re right.”

 

He was referring to one of the more famously distributed news headlines, at which Kise had made the top referring topic for seven months straight after brutally murdering the occupants in the very room he had exited before having the warrant for arrest issued.

 

“I know life here can be boring, but this isn’t your fight.” The blond hissed.

 

Kotaro bit his lower lip, swallowing as he felt the blade slide a little deeper into the skin of his neck.

 

Aomine slid the blade into his pocket. “Kaijo, or our favorite Lightning Beast in exchange for Shuutoku’s Hawkboy?”

 

Kise stiffened.

 

Technically, Aomine had a point. A very valid, logical point. And Kise was usually logical with a capital L. Sometimes, his sanity actually relied on the existence of logical reasoning instead of his own conscience. Harming Kotaro further would mean putting Kaijo at odds with Rakuzan. Given the current state of his Family, Kise knew that one wrong move here and now could destroy the lives of his Family members in the pen - Kasamatsu, Hayakawa, Moriyama, Nakamura … he couldn’t risk that. They were his life.

 

But Takao was in the hands of Rakuzan, and Seirin was somehow involved in the trade of his ally. Kise balanced both imaginary weights on a scale in his mind. Wait, Shuutoku too, were they aware of this?

 

“Midorima.” Kise breathed.

 

“Oh, he doesn’t know.” Kotaro further affirmed his strong guess with a satisfied smirk. “Why don’t you run and tell him?”

 

Torn, angry at being cornered, and highly frustrated, Kise willed himself to stay calm. Sliding the bloodied blade up into the sleeve of his Teiko uniform, the blond sat up and eased himself up off the Rakuzan gang member. The odds seemed to be against him at every turn. Now was definitely not the time to drag the Kaijo Family down with him in a senseless killing, even though every fiber of his being itched for him to wrap his hands around Kotaro’s throat, see more of the dark red blood ooze out onto the floor, shiny on the tiles, a brilliant red once the droplets hit the white ceramic, pooling out into a large puddle under Kotaro’s fragile head, red as the insides of a human body, once living and breathing and now quiet and still-

 

“Not worth it, blondie.” Aomine’s voice and hand on his shoulder was strangely reassuring. “Not now. Get up and move on. I don’t know how long the sentries are gonna stay away. Let’s avoid any chance of questioning, alright?”

 

His tanned hands covered Kise’s fair ones, gently but firmly prying his grip from Kotaro’s throat. The Rakuzan mafia member wheezed a little, but looked somewhat disappointed.

 

A little dizzy, with the world blitzing between blood red and mangled bodies, human limbs ripped from head to toe, blood splatters decorating walls, bloodied handprints adding to the silent cacophony of death surrounding his mind’s eye - and the clean, sterile room that Kotaro worked in, Kise stood up with the help of Aomine, who was eying him carefully.

 

He didn’t seem afraid.

 

Maybe he just couldn’t see what Kise could see.

 

Aomine leaned down, holding out his hand for Kotaro to grasp so he could help him stand, too. He grabbed a little towel from the small sink by the door and held it out so Kotaro could clean himself up. As for the dribbles of blood on the floor, Aomine smeared them into non-existence with the aid of several paper towels which he hastily stuffed into the trash.

 

As if on cue, Kise’s sentry returned, a somewhat mollified look on his face. There was a small white streak on the side of his cheek. A different sentry could be seen strolling away, buckling up his own pants. Brows raised, Aomine exchanged glances with Kise and Kotaro. Despite their stoic appearances, Teiko’s guards had found their own methods of release.

 

“We’re done here.” Keeping the towel around his neck, Kotaro motioned to the sentry. “Take ‘em away.”

 

“C’mon, Number Seven.” The sentry held out a gloved hand to scan Kise’s collar. “Your heartbeat’s pretty fast. Huh. What happened...”

 

He trailed off as his eyes fell on Aomine, who gave him a smirk as he brought one finger to his lips.

 

The sentry swallowed audibly. “Number Five, get your haircut and get back to your cell. Wait, where’s your sentry?”

 

Aomine shrugged. “Never needed one.”

 

Kise rolled his eyes. Having been in the pen for close to eight months now, he figured the guards didn’t need to put up a pretense any longer by ‘escorting’ dangerous inmates on a routine basis. Clearly, the high majority of strong mafia families in the asylum ruled the roost, and the law was only put into play when the government bigwigs came for routine visits. That was also usually when Teiko’s guards would be put on an exchange - new faces would be seen, mostly from different sections of the pen. And they would all be sticklers for the rules. But only till the government officials left. He wasn’t even sure  _ what _ they were pretending for. As he was led out, Kise turned back to gift the other two with the customary glare.

 

Kotaro was waving with a pair of scissors, and Aomine gave him a suggestive wink.

 

“Y’know what?” Aomine left the room, falling into step beside Kise as he nodded to his sentry. “I’m going your way. Do me the honor of escorting.”

 

The sentry was probably rolling his eyes behind those smart glasses, but he let it slide anyway. The double doors to the second hallway beeped before allowing them access. From there on out, cells were on the left in a neat, long row. 

 

“Play nice now.” The sentry gave them a mock salute before the doors slid to a close.

 

The blond turned to Touou’s Panther, who looked satisfied with himself.

 

“Are you following me?”

 

“I have time.” Aomine’s response was light.

 

“I don’t.”

 

“Spare me some.”

 

Kise narrowed his eyes at him. “What’s your deal?”

 

Aomine tilted his head to the angel on his shoulder. “A little bird told me your best friend’s missing. And no, I don’t know what really went down,” he shook his head as Kise shot him a look of distrust. “But it seems like the short stuff from Rakuzan’s behind this. You and I both know how he likes to play those sick as fuck mind games. There’s some things you might want to figure out now, and I can help.”

 

“Touou’s Panther wants to  _ help _ ?” The blond scoffed. “Eight months ago you wanted to give me the standard welcome.”

 

With a shrug, Aomine shoved his hands into his pockets casually. “I didn’t know you then.”

 

“What makes you think you know me now?”

 

The tanned mafia shrugged. “Instinct.”

 

They were both armed, and Kise didn’t have any qualms about fighting him. He was confident he could give a scar or five just fine. It seemed like Aomine had something to say, though. Just as well, Kise mused as he turned away to the left, leading Aomine out to a narrow door that led behind the cells and had a staircase leading to the laundry section. Surveillance cameras littered the walls and ceiling despite the lack of space. A shitload of monkey business must’ve happened in the area before the pen made the decision to install the cams.

 

Aomine obliged by sticking out a pair of choice fingers at one of them. Kise smirked as he held open the door for him at the end of the walkway.

 

“After you.”

 

At the folding table, Moriyama looked up and did a double take when he saw Touou’s Panther striding in. He bit his lower lip, worried, and locked gazes with Kise, who gave him a reassuring smile. At least, he hoped that was what it was. Wrinkling his nose at the strong smell of detergent in the air, Aomine looked at Kise, who offered him a smile before leading him out from yet another door. The bright afternoon sun made both of them wince. Kise went to a small white ladder that was attached to the wall near the door.

 

“We can sit up here.” He beckoned for Aomine to follow.

 

“Sure about that?” Aomine watched the view of Kise climbing up from below. “M’not gonna get jumped by Kaijo cunts, am I?”

 

“Why don’t you find out?” Kise’s voice grew faint as he reached the top and vanished from sight. “Don’t blame you if you’re pissing your pants though. We don’t pull any punches.”

 

With a small sigh and a muttered curse, Aomine checked the area for the presence of any other inmates before making his way up the ladder. When he finally reached the top, Kise was sitting on the rough cement, a slow smirk quirking the corners of his lips.

 

“See?” He gestured around by waving a hand. “Nothing to be afraid of.”

 

Aomine ignored his sarcasm in favor of scanning the area, grudgingly impressed.

 

This little elevated corner of heaven was a blessing when inmates were busy with laundry duty, bringing scrubbing tools and detergent supplies from round the other side of the block. Kise would sometimes skip duties to lounge around on this big rectangular space of peace with a couple cigarettes. He’d never told Takao about it, though the sharp Shuutoku member probably already knew. None of Teiko’s guards ever came round this area, but there were enough surveillance cameras present to let Kise know he was never entirely alone. Still, this wasn’t a place he was willing to give up to just anyone. But Aomine would probably never come here. No one ever did.

 

“I’m gonna be direct.” Kise looked down at Aomine, who had taken a carefree lying position beside him. “I don’t know what you really want from me, but Kaijo doesn’t have much to offer in terms of power here. Not right now.”

 

“Mmm.”

 

“Why don’t you get to the point.” The blond invited.

 

Touou’s Panther looked relaxed, open for any attacks, but Kise knew better.

 

“Hnn.” Aomine stared up at the blue sky. “Y’know what this place reminds me of? Basketball days when I was what, sixteen? Old enough to jerk off and young enough to be a fool by joining this one gang. Can’t fucking believe I dropped outta high school for that shit.”

 

There was a pregnant pause.

 

Kise didn’t care to hear about his backstory, mainly because Aomine seemed to be stalling. The Prince of Kaijo sucked in a breath of air before sharply asking “You enjoying yourself?”

 

When he turned to look at Touou’s Panther, Aomine’s eyes were shut, a small smile on his - ugh, Kise didn’t really want to admit it, but he didn’t suck to look at - handsome face.

 

“You’re impatient, aren’t you.”

 

The blond grit his teeth. “What do you get out of this, besides pissing me off?”

 

“Pissing you off.” Aomine opened one eye lazily and grinned at him. “Hold up for a second, will ya. I know you’re mad. You gonna wanna stab someone, break stuff, snap some necks. The way I see it, nothing good’s gonna come off you acting reckless right about now. I ain’t here to play.”

 

“Neither am I.”

 

Touou’s Panther sighed. “I wanna get to know you some. Then we strike a deal. Deal?”

 

Scratch that about him being kinda good looking with his rugged appearance - the fucker was as annoying as Haizaki from back when they were runts. Kise felt like hauling ass and leaving, but the logical part of his mind sent him solid reasons to outweigh that. Much as he loathed to agree with Aomine, whose existence he had come to grudgingly accept in the brief moments he spent with him, Kise had to acknowledge that he had a very valid point. The fate of Kaijo was as unstable as the Eiffel tower in the middle of a major earthquake. Kise fell silent, allowing Aomine to take the lead. He carried on smoothly, as if nothing had happened. He was still seeing red, though. The smell of Kotaro’s blood was still on his stained hands, and it was driving nails into the frayed edges of his conscience.

 

“So I was a kid, back then. Didn’t know any better, and let the leader from that gang - he’s dead now, I’m pretty sure - give me this task to carry out. Steal some heroin from the Touou cartel route goin’ through our neighborhood.” Aomine trailed off, snorting as if he couldn’t believe his younger days.

 

Kise took a moment to digest this. “So you got caught.”

 

“Would you believe it, it was ‘cause I stopped for a second to get me some banana milk.” 

 

At this, the blond turned to him with an incredulous stare. Aomine shook his head and laughed. 

 

His deep voice sounded fond, like he was speaking of a memory he cherished. “For reals. I snuck into their stock at the warehouse downtown. Around 4am, I figured the street didn’t have nobody in it but me and the goddamn rats. I got out, had bout a couple of big bags stuffed in my hoodie, and I coulda made a run for it. Would’ve made a killing selling all of that with my gang back then, too. I was such a dumbfuck, I swear.”

 

“Vending machine ate your coins?” The blond smirked down at him.

 

Aomine looked at him, stunned. “How the fuck didja know that?”

 

Brows raised, Kise regarded him with surprise. They shared a minute of silence before they both started chuckling.

 

“So there I was, sixteen and a half and kicking the side of the fuckin’ machine.” Aomine sat up with a smile. “And of all people who would catch me in the act, was the motherfuckin’ head himself.”

 

Ah.

 

Touou’s Harasawa was known to be a good-looking, serious gentleman, and also one of the bosses with the cruelest methods of torture, aside from Rakuzan’s Shirogane. Kise racked his brain and recalled that the Touou leader was a big fan of golf - due to the golf dates Kaijo’s Takeuchi would have arranged whenever Harasawa was in Kanagawa - and had a penchant for a very specific brand of whisky. Kise frowned to himself. What was it Boss Takeuchi always said? Harasawa was good at producing all kinds of narcotics because he had a strong background in chemistry.

 

“He walked right up behind me, had his men restrain me before I could make a break for it. I struggled, put up a good fuckin’ fight. One of ‘em still has this scar I gave him.” Aomine was saying, proudly. “Once they got me down on the ground, old Harasawa helped himself to the powder in my pockets. Said he’d never seen a man alive make it past his security in the warehouse, much less a street rat from the slum bucket like me. Saw my potential, told me he’d turn a blind eye to the shit I’d just pulled if I decided to join his Family.”

 

Kise returned his smirk. “Told him to suck it and he beat you up good?”

 

“Nah, I joined ‘em, obviously.” Aomine shrugged. “I made it to where I was by crushing all the fucking competition around me. Somehow or other I made it to the top by doing what I did, and the word on the street was that I wasn’t just some motherfucker Harasawa picked up off the streets - I was Touou’s Panther. But I got jaded after some time in the business. There was no more competition then...”

 

“You got bored.” Kise concluded, and received a curt nod.

 

“Ain’t nobody had the guts to mess with me. I was invincible. But dumbfucks who didn’t get the memo still tried, anyway. I crushed ‘em too. Touou got a lot stronger, better at our cartels. Within my first couple of years with the mob, we monopolized the better part of Tokyo’s mafia dealings with our operations. Got past the law with that asshole Imayoshi. He’s good though, at the shit he does.”

 

“So.” Kise cocked his head. “If he’s so good, why’re you both behind bars?”

 

“Things went south when I went into some Rakuzan territory with the Boss. Bit off more than I could chew. Didn’t have backup with me cause I was one proud motherfucker. Me and Imayoshi took the blow for old Harasawa. He escaped okay.” Aomine shrugged. “Ain’t nothing I wouldn’t do for that fucker.”

 

Yeah okay, so he was probably pulling the I’m-grateful-to-the-boss-I-owe-him-my-life card, but Kise knew better. Once you were in a Family, you were in it forever, and the idea of getting out was just an idea. Fact was you could never shake off the mafia. They bled roots deep under your skin, right into your veins. Just like a real family.

 

“Yeah, you’re a loyal pup and all that shit. If you’re Touou’s ace card, what’s your Boss’ deal, he ain’t bailing you out?”

 

Aomine looked away. “Can’t. Old Shirogane’s a wily bastard. That son of a bitch struck Boss a pact. Said if his ace card got in the pen, I’d have to stay, too. Then they’d be even.”

 

“Sounds like they’ve got history.”

 

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it.” Aomine grunted, flicking a loose pebble from the ground into the distance. “Fucked up is what it is, and I’m fuckin’ wasting my ass away here waiting to get the hell out. Boss is good at finding ways though. Maybe my days here are numbered. I’ll get out soon.”

 

This was getting boring.

 

“Why tell me this?” Kise asked, getting straight to the point. “Cute story and all, but it’s the standard shit everyone goes through before slipping up and getting into Teiko.”

 

Dark blue eyes flashed as Aomine glared at him. “Y’know what, you’re hella fucking annoying, blondie. I never said I slipped the fuck up. I said I took the damn blow for the boss.”

 

Was this fucker dense or what? Kise ran a hand through his hair, ruffling his locks up. The scent of the standard prison shampoo briefly filled his nostrils before it faded away.

 

“I don’t give a shit what happened to you.”

 

“That’s cold, man.” Aomine exhaled through his teeth and shook his head, amused. “Here I am spilling my heart out to you.”

 

“I got bigger shitstorms to deal with.”

 

“That shit can wait. You clearly got issues.” Aomine grabbed his arm with a firm grip before Kise could get up. “Hear me out. I’m serious about helping you.”

 

“How the hell does your past help me right now?” Kise snapped, feeling a small headache throbbing at the back of his head.

 

Aomine said nothing, but his grip remained firm.

 

He sat back on the ground in favor of rolling his shoulders and hearing the bubbles pop in his neck. God, this was what Kasamatsu must’ve felt on the daily, rearranging shit so they didn’t hit the fan, helping his boys avoid run-ins with the law, and keeping tabs on their operations without fail, constantly updating Takeuchi - damn. And here Kise was dealing with Touou’s Panther, who seemed like he had issues of his own.

 

“Look, if you need a wife or something, you’re probably better off looking elsewhere.” Massaging at his neck, the blond heaved a small sigh. “I’m not interested. Quit wasting my time.”

 

“It ain’t that.” Aomine dismissed it with a wave of his hand. “It’s just - you looked like you were going through something in the barber room.” 

 

Kise looked at him quizzically. “I what?”

 

“You know.” A little exasperated, Aomine shrugged and started gesturing. “I mean, you had this look on your face, like you were miles away but your body was still present, and it’s like you turned into a completely different motherfucker. Then you got your hands on Hayama, and he’s one cunt that doesn’t go down easy. But you got your hands round his throat, see, and you looked like… well…”

 

With an uneasy feeling roiling in his gut, Kise waited.

 

“Like you were possessed.” Aomine was half-grinning by now. “It was fucking amazing. But you got a little sick after. What is that shit you’re on, I wanna fucking know. Some new narcotic Kaijo’s snuck in?”

 

How much would he pay to know, Kise wanted to ask, but cut that thread of thought in its tracks. “I’m not on anything.”

 

“No shit, get real.” The tanned mafia member looked surprised. “That was all you?”

 

Kise grit his teeth and looked away. He didn’t really like talking about himself. But he could sense Aomine was being serious, in his own way. Touou’s Panther couldn’t be  _ that _ stupid.

 

“Look, Aomine.” Kise tried to reason with him. “You’re probably thinking you’re doing me a favor-”

 

“Nah, you look.” Aomine shot back. “If I didn’t stop you, you could’ve done something that would bring Kaijo right in the center of that fucking shitstorm. Teiko’d have you tossed into isolation. And what then? You’ve been around long enough to know what the pen is like. One whiff of blood and every other fucker in here goes wild after picking up the scent. Maybe I don’t gotta remind you how bad your men are having it in here. Maybe you believe in your boys, maybe a little too much. That lieutenant of yours - Kasamatsu? Guy’s barely holding his shit together. I know a shit ton of guys who’d kill to make him their bitch.”

 

“You know something.” Kise rounded on him, highly irritated. “Fucking spit it out. I don’t have time-”

 

“Then  _ make _ time!” Aomine yelled.

 

He was practically seething, but judging by the look on the Touou member’s face, Kise grit his teeth and said nothing.

 

“The outside world.” Aomine waved a hand, highly annoyed. “We ain’t exactly on the best terms, I know that. I’d fight you to the death on the spot, and I know you would me. Shit, I’d blow every one of Kaijo’s motherfuckers up if the boss wanted me to, and you can’t tell me you wouldn’t do the same to Touou. It’s fucked up, but it is what it is. Out there, I see you on my turf and you’re dead - we’d never even be speaking like this. But in here, it’s not the same.”

 

“What’re you getting at?”

 

“Are you fucking stupid?” Aomine growled as Kise bristled. “Shit, I can’t believe I gotta spell it out for you. Kaijo  _ needs _ allies, you dumbfuck!”

 

Aomine was practically up in his face. Kise shoved him away. “Fuck you if you think I’m gonna fall for that kinda shit.”

 

“Pretty soon you’ll realize every single one of these fucks in here are gonna be out for Kaijo’s blood. And when that happens...” Grabbing him by the collar, Aomine mashed their foreheads together. “You’re gonna come to me for protection.”

 

The blond remained resolute. “See the thing is, Aomine, don’t lump me in with fucks like you. I didn’t get where I was being a cockslut jumping gangs and chasing power.”

 

Aomine snarled. “Don’t. You don’t know what really went down before I got my ass where I am now.”

 

They shared a heated glare. He sucked in a breath of air and released his grip on Kise’s collar. The blond smoothed out his uniform, quietly triumphant in making Touou’s Panther lose his cool. 

 

“You’re a fucking annoying fool.” Aomine shook his head. “Maybe you can’t see the big picture now, but if you’re smart enough, you eventually will. When you change your mind, you know where I’m at.”

 

Fuck him for sounding so goddamn confident.

 

“What do you get out of it?” Kise watched him walk away, heading back to the ground floor. 

 

“You  _ know _ the answer, dammit.” The tanned ace of Touou didn’t break stride. “This shit ain’t about you and your goddamn pride. Why give yourself up to Rakuzan so easily?”

 

He vanished from sight down the ladder. The door slammed shut behind Aomine as he re-entered the laundry room.

 

Kise licked the blood off his hands.

 

x

 

Takao struggled against the gag in his mouth.

 

It didn’t taste of anything, thankfully, but who knew where it came from before it landed in his mouth? More importantly, how the hell was he gonna get the hell out of wherever he was - lying on a bunk in a darkened cell in a hallway he wasn’t familiar with. He’d been here a couple days, maybe a week, mostly unconscious. There was a bump on the back of his head where he’d taken a hit. It didn’t hurt as much anymore.

 

Also, he couldn’t see shit. There was a dark piece of cloth wrapped around the upper part of his head, blocking out any visuals. His Hawkeye skills were snuffed with this handicap.

 

Might be Rakuzan territory. Could be Touou’s, too, he couldn’t tell.

 

The voices of the inmates around him were unrecognizable, and if it were any brighter, he’d be able to make out some of the inmates’ faces, but it conveniently wasn’t - just his luck. The only voice he could sometimes recognize was the deep growl of Eikichi, whom he had gotten somewhat accustomed to with working the construction sites.

 

Also, there was a slick, commanding voice that sent chills running up and down Takao’s spine whenever this certain inmate spoke. It sounded sleek and dangerous, more so than Kise Ryouta’s whenever he was on the brink of snapping. Takao had no face to place to the soft voice, but his character sounded insanely sinister.

 

They fed him well, not too much, but just enough. A blindfold would be placed around his eyes each time. He wasn’t allowed to speak. When he tried, he would get a kick or a punch to the gut, re-gagged, and rolled back onto the bunk despite his struggles. His wrists and ankles were bonded with computerized cuffs reserved for Teiko’s asylum level. They could only be removed with a recognized biometric fingerprint.

 

The Shuutoku inmate highly doubted that he was under actual Teiko supervision. This reeked of the work of another Family, and a highly skilled one at that. Fukuda Sogo? Kirisaki Daiichi? Not likely. 

 

His internal clock told him that it was food time, maybe noon. The smell of something good filled his nostrils as someone brought a tray into the room, and placed it nearby with minimal clinking.

 

“Takao-kun.” 

 

Wait a second, was that-

 

“I know what you’re thinking.” Kuroko’s voice sounded mildly apologetic. “And I’m sorry it’s come to this.”

 

“Nnnmmmgh!” Takao struggled to swear at him.

 

Fucking Seirin was in this too? He  _ had _ to tell Shin-chan, and Ryouta.

 

A hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him so he could lie on his back. Takao’s eyes met brilliant blue as Seirin’s Phantom stared down at him, expression close to soulful.

 

“But Takao-kun,” Kuroko continued without missing a beat. “You’re an integral piece to this mess of a puzzle, should I say… and thank you for being so patient.”

 

What the  _ fuck, seriously _ , Takao thought, biting down on the thick gag like his life depended on it. It didn’t budge.

 

“You’re safe here.”

 

Fuck no he wasn’t, but Takao wasn’t exactly allowed to speak.

 

“It’s vital that you stay here just a little longer.” Kuroko tilted his head and offered him a half-smile. “There’s food if you need to eat. But I strongly advise against trying to escape. Akashi-kun’s methods of … correcting behavior … isn’t exactly what I would classify as humane.”

 

How exactly am I safe, Takao shrieked internally. Kuroko seemed to read his mind.

 

“That’s why you should behave.” The blue haired Seirin member concluded in his stoic manner, which was grating hell on Takao’s nerves. He was scary in a horror-flick sort of way, and it scared Takao that he didn’t have much intel on this guy. He could be anything.

 

“With good reason.” Another voice cut in smoothly, the same cold, commanding tone that Takao had learned to fear in his short time playing hostage. “Thank you for keeping our guest company, Tetsuya. I take it he’s been obedient so far.”

 

Takao’s eyes widened as soon as Kuroko moved aside to reveal the man behind him.

 

“My apologies for taking so long to introduce myself.” Rakuzan’s first lieutenant reached out to stroke the side of Takao’s face. “It’s such an honor to meet the famed Hawkeye of Shuutoku. My name is Akashi Seijurou.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cue drumroll*
> 
> This chapter was 22 pages long and my eyeballs feel like a sister to the Sahara from all that screen-staring but . never . have . I . felt . this . accomplished.
> 
> Thanks for your continuous support. Comments give me life! ❤  
> I did a lot of research on the KnB characters, but in the event one of you are experts on these guys feel free to correct me! I'm always open for prison debates, anime, questionable ships, life, or a combination of all four :P


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